Poise…

Today, during practice with a big man captaining a big, internationally expanding ship, I taught him a few things about why size matters. You see, he has a new title that comes with a bigger sail. More people see him now. He wants to look good, I mean don’t we all? I took him down below and introduced him to his keel. Bigger is not necessarily better. The bigger the size of your sail, the more weight you’re gonna need in your keel. Captains, your keel, in BTL terms, is your CORE.

Today, we in America face a crisis of leadership. We have an abundance of leaders looking good with their big, bright, high flying sails out cruising in the harbor for all to see. Too many have spent too much time focused on what their team, investors, owners, and others can see. Many look good. Few, however, are good. The majority of our leaders have little ballast in their keel. Watch what happens when the next 2008 kinda correction blows up against their boat, you’ll see. It is easy to look good when the seas are calm and you spend most of your time doing parade laps in the safety and security of the harbor. What, my friend, are you focused on? Looking good and rising in your system? Making sure you’ve got the brightest boat in the harbor for all to see? Or, are you putting weight in your keel where no one sees, but you know?

Be good. Do good. Enough that matter will notice. Focus here.

Size matters, just not the kinda size the world can see. Build your CORE, my friend. The time you’re gonna need it is not the time to start. Poise and even keeled are a couple nautical terms you oughta know if you’re attempting to lead anything. Poise under pressure comes from a strong CORE. The higher your sail, the proportionally deeper your need for more ballast below. Build here, leader. You see, being even keeled during life’s inevitable storms isn’t reserved for certain personality types, folks with specific strengthsfinder kinda attributes, or peeps with proper, higher educations. Even keeled leaders are built with ballast. Ballast below the waterline. Ballast that nobody sees until the crucible simply reveals. Build here while there is still time. Build now. Our new business cycle is gonna be like a perpetual Spring season. Tons of opportunity for new growth and beauty. And, pop up showers, storms, and more storms. Your ship’s gonna sail some choppy water.

Poise, please. Poise…