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Doing Hard Things
By Ron | September 18, 2009
I recently bumped up my running distance. Being new to running, I am not sure if this is helping or hurting, so I am still tinkering with my regimen. I had been running five miles at least five times a week. It takes me on average 47 minutes to run five miles. A couple of Mondays ago, I ran the same distance as a half marathon and that took just under two hours. What is amazing is the change in mindset I now have about running the routine five miles. It does not seem that long or hard anymore. Why? It’s because I have done something harder.
In business, when you stretch your team to do a monumental task, the task you previously thought difficult becomes routine. I learned this principle in the Army as well. When they took us through grueling obstacle courses and other seemingly impossible challenges, it made us more confident and prepared for everyday stuff. So if you want your team to do the impossible, start raising the bar. If you have hired competent people they will jump over it with the right training. Make the hard stuff routine by doing something harder.
Topics: Leadership | 2 Comments »
September 22nd, 2009 at 4:30 pm
I totally agree. I am reading a book right now called “Do Hard Things” by Alex and Brett Harris. This is a book for teens, but I think the principles apply to all. We have been trained in our culture to set the expectation bar low and we have learned to accept “low” results. People are in need of and want to be challenged. I know that this is true of me. We must train people to “dream big.” However, dreaming big comes with big challenges. We train our people on how to deal with these big challenges and meet high expectations. I believe that it will work.
September 23rd, 2009 at 5:57 am
Great Book! We required our kids in our leadership program to read this book this past summer right after it released. Great read for adults and teens!