When I started running twenty years ago, I had no idea what I was doing. I signed up to run a marathon, fundraise for the Leukemia Society’s Team in Training, and get a “free” trip to Ireland for the race. Boy, was I in over my head.
Training and fundraising were really, really hard. I was working as a bartender, closing the bar on Friday nights, completing my long runs on Saturday mornings, and then going into to work the late shift at my restaurant the same night. I had to raise almost $7000, and whatever contributions I didn’t gather from outside sources, I would have to pay for myself. I scraped the money together through friends and family, events, silent auctions, and donations from my bar regulars. I made it to Dublin to run the race, and as I neared the finish line, I thought, “I am never doing this again.”
Yeah, right. I finished my second marathon eight months later.
As of this publication, I have run at least a mile every single day for nine years. I’m slightly shocked even as I write that. “My run streak is over 3,285 days.” Wow. I was never a runner. In high school, I made every excuse not to run. In fact, one of my best friends was on the cross-country team, and I though he was crazy. 5k . . . 3.1 miles? Was he nuts? Not at all. I just didn’t get it at the time.
Here I am, all these years later, and time and time again, I realize how much running has taught me about leadership.
Running is about dedication and perseverance. It’s about getting up after you stumble. It’s about motivation, continued learning, finding a way under or around or through that damn wall. Running is about setting goals, committing to the long-term vision, and inspiring others to come with you along that journey.
As my favorite coach always says, this is about running. And this is absolutely not about running.
Leadership is all of those things, too – devotion, progress, struggle, success, humility, encouragement, and service. None of those things happen quickly or easily. You can call yourself a leader or someone else can name you as leader, but becoming a good leader takes time and a sh**load of hard work. Becoming a great leader takes even longer and requires more empathy, enthusiasm, and energy.
When you accept the role of “Leader,” you also accept the responsibility of providing for your team and for your organization in whatever ways are required of you. That responsibility should feel like an honor, not an obligation. You’re in it for the long haul, and you dedicate yourself to fulfilling the obligations, projects, and initiatives with which you are entrusted.
Far be it for me to say how long the “long haul” is for you. Every leadership situation is different. “Long” might be the few months of implementing a new operating system or landing a new client. “Long” might be years of developing a well-rounded team or seeing a strategy on a vision-board becoming a viable source of income. You train and plan and set small goals to get to your end result, just like you do when you run. One foot in front of the other. One step at a time.
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