What’s your name?
What time is it?
Where are you?
What just happened?
These are the four questions that Terry asked me on the side of Breckenridge Mountain Eight, back in the summer of 2008. Seems like yesterday. The ambulance sirens were blaring, the sun was shining, and my brain was on full tilt. Just moments earlier, I had been enjoying a mountain bike ride with my son Jordan. Rounded the last switchback and saw an obstacle in my path – another rider serpentine across the single track. My last memory was my feet leaving the pedals. I remember the awesome feeling of taking flight. When Terry (paramedic) arrived and started in with the questions, I could only remember my name. I was A&O times one. Not good. I’ve written about this often and continue to tell this story to my clients. Yesterday, during BTL band practice, I told it again. Turns out Dakoter and young Voss had no idea.
All of us would benefit from being knocked out, losing consciousness for a brief period, and observing the mind rebooting itself.
This would especially benefit leaders. As leaders we are most focused on moving the team forward. We are overly oriented toward progress. We want to see up and to the right, in a big way. We want the team to perform incrementally better and better and, in the process, exceed the goals we’ve established. Most leaders want their team members to grab their bike and get on with it.
Too many leaders fail to realize these teammates are A&O times one or times none. Here’s the problem. Individuals, teams, and leaders will not make consistent progress forward without being collectively A&O X four. Excellence requires full consciousness. This takes your most precious commodity – time. So, leaders, lets do a little discovery together.
What’s your name?
Most leaders tell me with crystal clarity who they are as a company/team. They started the place. They’re the head coach, crafted the vision, or invented the hot selling widget, so why wouldn’t they? Remember, once we know something, we cannot imagine what it’s like not to. Most of your team does not know who you are as an individual, much less as a collection of individuals. You, leader, must go deeper in understanding your CORE and clarifying your OPUS. Clear enough is never good enough. Crystal clear is the obsession of the BTL leader. Remember, you cannot be too clear…
Leaders are believers. Do you know your deepest held beliefs? Leaders are connectors. Leaders are repeaters.
Does your team connect to your beliefs and have the autonomy to author their own? Are you inspiring them to go deeper and align internally and then toward their aim? Are you making them do what they can and making sure you have enough alignment in your aim?
What time is it?
Again, as leaders we know it’s time to act – sell something, deliver something, manage something, or at least do something. We know when it’s time to practice and when it’s game time. We know it’s time to prepare and we know it’s time to execute. We are fixated on chronos – the measurement of time. Every practice is planned down to the minute.
However, leader, are you aware of the kairos moments?
Kairos moments are a season of time. Not all moments are equal. Are you aware of your kairos moments at home, with your team, and with yourself? Are you valuing your kairos? Are you aware of your presence when your team is having a kairos moment? Are you too busy to redeem time and sit with someone when you’ve got other things to do? Does God live on your wrist as the African parable preaches? Slow down and sit with your relationship to time, leader. Slow down and reflect. Write.
Where are you?
Where is your mind, friend. Most of you have a mind going fast forward instead of marrying the moment and simply being who you are, wherever you are. Sounds easy but it’s not. Do you know where you’re going? Have you authored an authentic OPUS, a labor of freakin’ love?
I mean, c’mon man, do you know where you are, where you’re going, and how you’re gonna get there? Does your team? Or, are you stuck in endless meetings going nowhere energizing? Do you find yourself trying to survive the quarter instead of investing in an OPUS that produces juice worth the freakin’ squeeze?
You feeling stuck with teammates just as disoriented as you?
Busy. Always behind schedule. Never enough. Sometimes too much. Counting down the time till the pain will stop? Or are you humbled and honest about where you are, curious and interested about how you move forward, and embracing the pain and suffering that are part and parcel to progress? Do you have a big dream inspiring you? Are you aligning behaviors with beliefs? Are you living a work/life filled with OPUS? Is your Magnum OPUS a work in process or a pipe dream, damnit…
What just happened?
Are you a cause and effect expert on what causes your chronic pain? Are you a cause and effect expert on what brings you pure joy? Are you taking responsibility or taking up residence in victimhood? Are you learning from your losses? Are you learning from love? Are you letting life get you down or developing the discipline to sit with your sorrows without giving in to them? Are you able to celebrate wins without getting high on self? Are you mastering the discipline of becoming hard on self, not down on self? Are you able to forgive yourself and others?
Life is love and loss. Whatever’s happening to you now, its somewhere on the spectrum. Are you embracing this reality and loving more than you loathe? STFD (Slow the F&^% down).
Do you see the problem?
We all want teams that know who they are, know their identity, and orient around living it. Teams passionately pursuing this vision through adversity and over time. Teams that understand what is most important. Teams that know where they are, how they got there, and, most importantly, where they’re going. Teams that ride through pain and help their teammates ride through theirs. Teams that help their fellow riders up, dust them off, and stand with them in the fight. We all want teams moving from a lone toward all one – one L of a difference.
Teams like this are A&O X four.
Teams like this have answered the big questions and know these answers are always under construction and getting clearer. Teams like this are ONE, distinct and deeply connected, becoming BTL. And, teams like this are led by leaders who’ve gone first and are continuing the hard work within. Yes, leader, every leader gets exactly the team they deserve.
Want a better team? Become a better leader. Do the work within. Build a strong CORE. Do the work on your aim. Author an authentic OPUS. Never stop the search for clarity. You cannot be too clear within and with your aim. Leaders A&O X four, never stop the search for ever increasing levels of clarity. Truth.
Are you A&O X four? Have you accepted the truth that leading you is your biggest leadership challenge? Are you too proud to ask for help? Are you too scared to show your humanity? Are you too busy to create kairos moments? Slow down. Reflect. Write. Put it on freakin’ repeat.
Strong CORE. Authentic OPUS. Build them. Never stop.
Model the way. Embrace pain and suffering. Embody truth in Love. Study. Learn. Apply. Obsess over clarity. Slow down. Reflect. STFD. I hope Dakoter and Voss made it this far. This rant is for U2, funny huh…
Live hard. Love ❤️ harder…
BUILT TO LEAD 