Had an interesting observation today… I am flying from Lafayette and just went through TSA. They were awesome! Everyone was kind and patient while still focused on their job. Contrast that with Atlanta….. I started thinking it was about having the right people and having the right systems, and leaders, etc etc etc. But then I remembered a story from some recent training. There were two expeditions to reach the South Pole first. One made it and lived and the other made it later and died. This was studied as part of #GoodtoGreat by #JimCollins. What struck me most in the comparison was the one who lived and arrived first had a methodical approach based on achieving a certain mileage target per day. Even if they could have gone further in any given day they didn’t, knowing they would need this energy on a harder day. Contrast that with the other team who just went as hard as possible at all times. Jim’s concept for this is known as a twenty mile march. The power is in the doing of it consistently, not in any one large breakthrough… I’d been thinking a lot about this and how to incorporate it into my life, which has been a challenge. I think I’ve been more conditioned to keep pushing as hard as possible at all times, which is ultimately limiting… Back to TSA Maybe part of the reason they were so good here in Lafayette is they just aren’t as stressed out with so many passengers. Their twenty mile march is reasonable and they relax more often. And that’s ok… As someone really working through this for myself and my business, I would love to hear about anyone else who’s observed / experienced similar challenges. And what I mean by that is how to avoid pushing harder (yourself, your team, etc) once the days work has been done, even if it’s a little early that day… https://lnkd.in/gNAyWPP2.
Jeremy C.
10mo
This is a great lesson. It’s the Tortoise and the Hare, writ large. One of the reasons our last company had such a long and healthy relationship with Adobe is that Adobe shared our Why. We all prioritized balance: no individual was allowed to work more than 40 hours a week on projects, and any project leader that suggested it was chastised and brought to heel. As an organization, we prioritized individual health, equitable benefits, and transparency. As a result, we had zero attrition among developers. The story of the two expeditions to the South Pole is similar to the tale of two lumberjacks, in which the one that worked tirelessly produced only half as much as the one that took frequent breaks (to sharpen their axe). Slow and steady wins the race; failure to plan is planning to fail, and all that.
Kenneth W. Russell
10mo
Interesting info on the South Pole expeditions and valuable lesson. But just as an aside, I have found the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents in Atlanta to be very friendly, professional and efficient. For the amount of traffic they have to deal with, I have rarely had an issue and typically get through even the main lanes quickly.
RJH Growth Consultants: Owner / B2B Sales Consultant / Outsourced VP of Sales
10moSlow down to go faster further - it is proven - Lesson 1 in my course talks about planning making sure we look out to the future and not what is immediately in front of you - less stress when you are tackling the most strategic items