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Reigniting your leadership passion

passionLast July I completed the 77-mile Prouty Ride in New Hampshire. There were hills-a-plenty and I turned in an average speed that was so slow I don't even want to share it. I have a top-of-the-line Specialized S-Works road bike, so it wasn't my equipment that was lacking. What was lacking was the ability of the bike's engine - me. My growing frustration with my slow performance finally got to me. I may be 64 years old, but I know I'm physically capable of developing more power and speed - and reigniting my passion for cycling. So I hired Tracey Drews, a Carmichael Training Systems (CTS) coach, to kick my butt into shape. In two months, I increased my average speed almost two miles per hour and lost 10 pounds in the process. I feel great. I'm proud of my improvements. I got my passion for cycling back.


In recent weeks, I’ve talked to a number of owners/leaders who admitted to having lost the passion to push their companies forward. The most common statement sounded like, “I’m just going through the motions.” That’s what I was doing on my bike … just pedaling away miles and not doing the type of training that produces gains and breakthroughs. And just for the record, you can’t achieve gains and breakthroughs in business and life without pushing and challenging your abilities - without taking decisive action to snap out of your funk.

Here are my no-compromise, “kick your own butt” strategies to reignite your passion for leadership and push your company forward:

  • Clean your plate: A leader’s plate is where projects and problems tend to land - yours and everyone else’s. If you don’t pay attention and manage what’s taking up residence on your plate, you can find yourself stressed and overextended. Take control of your plate by cleaning off all of the non-essentials and time-sappers. Most importantly, redirect all those projects and problems back to the people that originally owned them. Leadership team members will never learn and grow if you keep finishing or fixing their stuff.

  • Find your BHAG: A “Big Hairy Audacious Goal” is the kind of worthy and lofty challenge that wakes up both leaders and their companies. BHAGs are bold. BHAGs are grand visions that inspire and motivate. BHAGs are worth fighting for. More than anything, finding and chasing a BHAG always reignites a leader’s passion and energy for the work of leadership.

  • Put a pin on the map: The first thing my cycling coach asked me to do was define my goals and timelines so we could make a training plan. The training plan was a guideline that would take me to my goals. A goal without a deadline is a “maybe,” but putting a pin on the map sets the destination. Define your BHAG, take a deep breath, and put the pin on the map.

  • Blow up the blockage: A leadership blockage is nothing more than a fear of the unknown. Guess what? The worst that could happen seldom, if ever, happens. And guess what? Not everyone is going to be happy with change. But … guess what? Giving in to your fear of confrontation by remaining stuck is the fast track to everything you don’t want to happen. No one follows a leader that is stuck, or too timid and afraid to tackle a worthy challenge.

  • Read No-Compromise Leadership: My book is a game plan for achieving a higher standard of leadership thinking and behavior. So far, every leader that has read the book thinks I wrote it just for them. Learn about the Four Business Outcomes. Learn how to use and balance the BIG Eight Drivers. Learn what it really takes to successfully navigate a company-wide culture shift to the “No Compromise” zone. It’s a damn powerful book that will get you back into the leadership game.

  • Get a coach: The right leadership and business coach can take you farther and faster than if you go it alone. The most important component is to have someone that will hold you accountable and not buy into excuses. And it really helps to have a coach to talk to when your leadership flame needs an extra spark.


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