Governor…

Last night we kicked off another season with one of my favorite teams in the world – OSU women’s soccer. Their leader and this team is filled with good souls who kick some serious grass. They are even better than they think they are (trying to change this, btw). Their leader put a bow on practice ONE.119 by reminding them not to listen to their little voice that tries to “govern”/ limit their performance. You see, golf carts have governors that limit their top speed. We also have governors in our minds that talk trash to us when we push limits. Governors serve a purpose with carts. They keep them performing for longer periods of time by limiting how fast they perform in the moment. Can you imagine this on a formula one car? 

Your athletes/producers/associates are not golf carts. 

They are Porsches. Porsches do not have governors. They, like formula one cars, have push to pass. They perform at their peak when pushed up, against and into the edge of their challenge zone. You, leader, do them no favor when you govern their output out of fear. Your best can do more than they think – more even then you think. Your job is to make them do what they can and they can do a lot. Release the governor, please.

Last night,  I pushed one of the leaders to make her teammates do more tomorrow. I pushed her not to make one of her teammates do more, not even two. You see, freind, I believe in her. So, I pushed her beyond the norm. I told her to make three or four teammates perform to their capacity in their opening day fitness test. She listened and took the challenge to heart. She is the real deal. Gonna do great things in work and life. So, as you’re reading this, she is out on the field doing hard things and making others do more than they think. She’s not focused on her governor and is smashing the governors of those around her. That’s her, fourth from the left, leaning in. Are you?

She’s a leader. Her name is Mirannthemighty. If you’re a leader, remember this – its not about what you know. There are tons of leaders who know all the right stuff and do all the right things themselves. We quickly forget them. 

Leaders are remembered by what their team learned to do. 

Want a better team? Become a better leader. Every leader gets exactly the team they deserve. Damn.

Live hard. Love harder. Much harder, huh Mirann…