Running from or Running to?

Are you running from or running to something?  You might think what difference does it make as I am still running.  However, it makes a huge difference.

If someone is chasing you, you are running from them and will accept the first stop  providing safety.

In a race, you are running to the finish line.  You have a destination, or goal, in mind and will not stop until you reach it.

The same principles are true in life. If you are running from a bad job or bad relationship, you will settle for whatever comes along.  However, if you have a dream, a goal or vision in mind, you are running to it and will not stop until you achieve it.

Running to something is always preferred to running from something.

 

 

 

 

Hope is not a strategy

In a leadership meeting I was providing a status update to the team and meekly stated, “we hope to be done by…..”  My boss stopped the meeting and gently told me, “Hope is not a strategy.”

These words rang true that day and continue to do so today.  I had not taken the time to dot all my i’s and cross all my t’s prior to the meeting.  I had not given the team a plan so we could execute it and achieve a successful outcome.  My best plan was hope.

I learned to never commit to something on the foundation of hope. If I was going to commit I needed to put in the work beforehand, put people in a position to be successful and manage whatever risks were in the way.  Hope would no longer be for me.  Planning and action were my new strategies.

The next time you or someone else offers you hope, think about it and consider if it can really be achieved.

What’s my value?

A few years back I was working on an global project and had the opportunity to relocate overseas.  It took several months, but my boss finally had the offer for me and I was thrilled to finally see it.  However, once I saw it my excitement immediately turned to shock.  The offer, which he emailed me before disappearing for the the day, was to take a 30% pay cut!

I was furious and took this offer as an indication of how he and the team valued me.  I made a few phones calls to vent and make sure my reaction was justified. My network was great and lent some very supportive ears and shoulders. However, the best phone call I made was to my wife, who so plainly said, “Why are you so upset?  He doesn’t set your value.”

This simple phrase changed my trajectory. In that moment, I realized I had given others the right, and the power, to set my value.  What a fool I was!  No one deserves the right to set my value except me!  Once I reclaimed this truth, I was set ablaze to accomplish things I never thought were possible.