Week 22.03 Build Better Back
This week I learned the increasing weakness I have been feeling in my legs is caused by a narrowing of vertebrae in my spine. I had never really thought about this very much in the past. Considering that I needed knee surgery, I have been working out for the past two years and am in the best shape in a long time. (footnote: no knee surgery needed, you operate on symptoms, not x-rays) Back to my back.
As I learned more about the issue, I became fascinated by how the weakness was not from a loss of muscle strength or muscle fatigue but rather from the poor communication of the signal traveling along the nerve. As I listened to the surgeon talk to his fellow about various pinches and impingements, I thought this was an excellent metaphor for life and leadership. How often are solid teams and individuals held back by poor communications? (hint: too often!) And while great leaders certainly empower their teams, poor communications constrain them from working together and, just like my spine problems, make it hard to run.
The treatment options offer some insights into how to think about improving communication so that teams and individuals can function with the least amount of constraint. My choices include: reduce constraints, open wider channels, and strengthening the system. While I am inclined to jump to surgery to fix the problem, I am abiding by the doctor's advice and follow all treatment options. This makes sense for life and leadership also.
The first treatment is a cortisone shot to reduce the inflammation to ease communication channels. Bringing people together and airing differences can help at work. Or perhaps it's communicating more frequently and transparently. When people feel fully informed, they can act more confidently and feel less restricted. If reducing the inflammation doesn't work or is insufficient, the second course of treatment, decompression, creates more space within the vertebrae to allow the nerves to re-generate and communicate with less constriction. Leaders can open lines of communication with more structured communication, the establishment of regular meetings, weekly updates, or even a new technology (not another technology!)
Regardless of the initial course, physical therapy appears to be in my future. Once the nerves are higher functioning, physical therapy will strengthen the muscles around the spine and improve posture to reduce the pressure from the system. Like a more muscular back, having better communication requires regular attention. Maintaining systems that lower constraints, increase trust, and create healthy communications take practice and regular investment. Most importantly is regular check-in so make sure that problems are discovered early, everyone is on the same page, and that even the quietest feel they have a voice. Leadership is a contact sport.
Life and leadership often follow a similar path and sometimes the signals from one help us see how to improve the other. This adventure has taught me to pay better attention to small signs, which can indicate more significant problems. I recognize the value of investing in more robust systems before they are weak and addressing them before they worsen. I am fortunate that I paid attention to the signs and have access to experts to address the underlying problems. It would have been valuable to invest in strengthening earlier, but that is not an option. In life and leadership, we can learn from our vulnerabilities, enhance our systems and build better back.
Applications are open for Forefront, a program for next-generation leaders.
Marshall and 100 Coaches are very excited to announce the launch of Forefront, a program for next-generation leaders in coaching and talent development. Born from Marshall's mission to pay it forward, this year-long program aims to nurture and develop the aspirations of these coaches and leaders through mentorship, training, insight, and community. The deadline to apply to join the inaugural cohort is January 26. Do you know someone who is in the early to middle stages of their career as a coach or talent development professional? Do they have a unique point of view and a clear desired impact? Send them the application or have them reach out to us at Forefront@100Coaches.com. More to come on this exciting opportunity as well as ways 100 Coaches members can get involved.
Reframing the Role of Educators: Five Ways to Maintain Childlike Optimism
Research shows optimism tends to peak in late youth before declining over most people's lifetimes in some countries. Teaching young people skills such as reframing, taking action, gratitude and mindfulness could help them to maintain a valuable childlike sense of optimism as they age. Educational experiences that encourage optimism, innovation and empowerment encourage students to work harder and make a difference in the world, according to NGO JA Worldwide. In this article, Asheesh offers five topics that such a curriculum might offer. The benefits of teaching positivity and lifelong optimism | World Economic Forum
Taryn's 3 Milestones: TEDx. Podcast. Online Course!
MILESTONE 1: THIS Friday, January 21st, Taryn gets to join a lineup of luminous thought-leaders at TEDxValparaiso. Her talk is entitled "Harnessing Resilience to Break Out of Our Vulnerability Cage", sharing her own story of resilience as well as why resilience is the key to showing up in our vulnerability. She's condensing a decade and a half of research into 12 minutes, and can't wait to share her experience with you! MILESTONE 2: Her first solo podcast episode of Flourish or Fold: Stories of Resilience is live, and she is honored to share the most monumental resilience story of her life including How she faced childhood trauma and how she healed from two decades of PTSD. MILESTONE 3: Online course Flourish: The Five Practices of Particularly Resilient People is launching! In this course, she will share over a decade and a half's worth of research & transformative resilience practices that have only been previously available through working one-on-one with her. So far, these practices have been sought-after by people ranging from elite executives to professional athletes looking to gain an edge on their competition and to continue to lead sustainable careers despite massive challenges, change, and complexity. You can join the waitlist for Flourish - the Online Course now.
Preventing the School-to-Prison Pipeline With Education and Mentorship (Rhett Power)
Preventing the School-to-Prison Pipeline With Education and Mentorship. From Prisoner to Mister is a new program sponsored by AIG and the Be A Coffee Bean Foundation. The program aims to help incarcerated men of color get a college degree and become teachers and role models for at-risk youth. If you have never heard Damon West speak about his time in prison and how that drives him now, he is worth checking out. His talks are powerful. Preventing the School-to-Prison Pipeline With Education and Mentorship
The Success Factor: Developing the Mindset and Skillset for Peak Business Performance (Ruth Gotian) Release date: Jan 25
High achievers share the same four attributes: intrinsic motivation, perseverance, strong foundation, constantly learning through informal means. The key to their success is that they do all four of these things at the same time. Based on research and in-person interviews with astronauts, Nobel Prize winners, and Olympic champions, The Success Factor outlines the approach that individuals aspiring to improve their performance can adopt.Using these four shared attributes as a guide, The Success Factor helps you reach your peak by applying the lessons of high achievers in your own life: identify your passion using a Passion Audit; learn how and where to find a mentor and how to build a mentoring team; develop your own community of practice; pursue your interests through informal learning; manage your time and energy. The Success Factor: Developing the Mindset and Skillset for Peak Business Performance
Quote of the week: Martin Luther King: We are not satisfied and will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.
And, as always, thank you, Marshall, for making all of this possible.
With love and gratitude
Scott