Sunday August 15th, 2010 will always be the day in my life the pepperoni fought back!!! My family was having a relaxing dinner at our favorite pizza spot. We love this place because the pizza literally comes out of the oven and is placed right then on your table. It is very juicy, still sizzling, and VERY hot!
Anyone who eats hot pizza knows how stringy the cheese can get. Well, as I took a bite of pizza the stringy cheese pulled a piece of pepperoni along with it so it landed flush on my chin. Think of it as a steaming, hot pepperoni patch! The burn was enough that it caused me to significantly jerk and subsequently left a mark on my face for the next three days. I then said to my wife the 5 words that haunt every leader which are “I Didn’t See That Coming.”
Muhammad Ali once said “It’s not the hardest punch that knocks you out. It’s the one you never see coming.” Leaders, what knock us out are the things we never see coming.
The following are just some of the leadership items that can often blindside leaders:
- Betrayal
- Health Issues
- Marketplace Changes
- Staff Transitions
- Inner Circle Conflicts
- Slumps
- Improved Competition
- Technology Advancements
- Losing A Great Client
- Family Issues – Anyone with a spouse, children, or aging parents knows that we are all one phone call away from our life changing forever.
Leaders are always going to be blindsided. The key is that you are not CONSTANTLY blindsided. The following are 10 things you can do to be proactive in your leadership.
- Invest in People. They are your only appreciable asset.
- As you’re investing in people, do it from a relational foundation.
- Be a continual learner.
- Understand no one likes change but a wet baby. However, change is a constant that must be embraced.
- Prioritize. The greatest leadership begins at home.
- Have the discernment to know which things you had no control over.
- Do not take the positive things or relationships in your life for granted.
- Save money for downturns in the economy and seasonal dips.
- Eat right, exercise, and get regular check-ups to protect your health. This is a tough one for me.
- When life knocks you down, remember that getting knocked down is not failure. Staying down is.
Leaders, there are always things that happen in our life that we do not see coming. Practice the ten items listed above and next time, it may lessen the blow.
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