 When Roger Federer finishes Wimbledon, he has a break. He doesn't take his tennis racquet on his break. When Cameron Smith finishes the Open he has a break. He doesn't take his clubs with him. When AFL footballers finish their season, they have a break. They don't take a footy away with them in their bag. Yet, as corporate athletes, corporate warriors, we will go on our break at Christmas and take our phones. Our phone is our club, our racket, our sword, our football. It's funny how we work tirelessly to the point of exhaustion all year for this break, yet we take with us the one thing that causes the greatest distraction, and takes us away from quiet, attention, intention, focus, and recovery. Athletes finish a season and have a proper break before the next tournament, competition or season begins. Yet we kinda go on a break. We take our sword with us just in case. We glance at it. We take it out of our bags and find a use for it. This keeps us from recovery. It's one of the things I have talked about a lot during The Mojo Reset Keynote. Over the last few months teams, team members, leadership teams and boards have recognised the need to reset for 2023. At the end of the season take a break. Don't take the greatest source of your exhaustion with you. Set your sword away.... your partner, your children and your own self will thank you. GB
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 Navy Ace pilot and TOPGUN instructor Bill Driscoll flew 170 combat missions, has 3,300 hours of jet fighter time, more than 5,200 jet dogfights, 500 aircraft carrier landings and was a TOPGUN instructor for four years, with more than 250 air combat tactics lectures. Yet, what is a complete standout about Bill is his humility. I asked him about humility, and whether that was a commonality amongst great leaders. During our conversation (details below) he referenced the Commander of an aircraft carrier with 5500 crew. He said any member of the crew could look at their captain and ask ... 1. Sir, do you know me? 2. Sir, do you care about me? 3. Sir will you help me become better?
In a work environment where globally people are just not happy at work, any leader who can honestly say that people could ask these three questions and answer in the affirmative would be in the few. Most would not be able to answer yes to these questions. It's a profound interview with Top Gun Ace Bill Driscoll, and one that every leader should take the time to sit with a pen and paper, and take notes from a guy who, as the title of his book outlined, has delivered high-performance under pressure.  So many of us fail to be decisive. It's often someday, I should, I know I must, yeah, I'll think about that. When you don't make a decision you are in fact....making a decision. Many years back, I worked with the leader of a not for profit. He could not make a decision. Every time a true decision was to be made, it was, "let's set up a committee." We all know where that ends up. World Series of Poker Champion Annie Duke has a new book "Quit". I interviewed her recently on The Mojo Sessions. What really struck me about Annie's conversation is the notion that so often leaders put off making a decision till later, but that is in effect making a decision. There is so much power in being decisive. Are you going to read more? Yes or no. Are you getting up early in the morning each day this week? Yes or no. Are you going to turn off your phone at the dinner table with the family? Yes or no. Are you going to quit sugar? Yes or no... not I'll try, or I'll start in December, or I should.
Once you close the door and make a decision, see what happens. When you leave that door slightly cracked open with the possibility, then you're saying to your brain "I'm not truly committed. I'm only considering it. It's ok if I don't." CLOSE THE DOOR. |
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