I recently keynoted a conference in Charleston, S.C. for a wonderful group of people who are in the forefront of technological change. Most in the audience of 400 were managers whose work teams need inspiration and motivation to continually adapt to changes in technology. The challenge… who’s got the time to be a motivational speaker every day! So, my mission was to give them tips for keeping their colleagues agile, resilient and adaptable in a world of constant change.
The central focus… use the “Lava Lamp Philosophy” to keep your work team from getting too comfortable. Remember the Lava Lamp? Once it is plugged in and warmed up, it is constantly moving & flowing, it never stops changing. The implications for us in an ever changing world… keep moving. Think of change in our work, and in our lives, as a continuous process with no end point. Stop looking for that day when “everything will settle down” and go with the flow… always thinking, adjusting, adapting.

Just returned from 10 days in Chamonix, France where I had some wonderful climbing adventures with my sons. As professional mountain guides, Jeff and Steve spend a great deal of time at high altitudes and are skilled at guiding clients not just up mountains, but out of their comfort zones. That was me last week… on the side of a cliff face, at 8000′ and way out of my comfort zone.
The experience provided reminders of what successful executives, educators and athletes all do under pressure… stay focused, look for solutions, breathe! Breathe? Among many physiological adaptations when we are in the stress response mode are changes in respiration, heart rate and blood pressure… it’s your body’s way of helping you in “fight or flight.” In a near miss car accident, once you realize you are safe, you’ll notice quick, shallow breathing, hands shaking, heart pounding. What most people don’t notice… are these same signs at a much lower level when your email box is full, voice mail is loaded and your to-do list is two pages!
High performers are in a constant monitoring state, aware of these changes and working on getting their balance back… tough with today’s overloaded schedules. Athletes do it so much in training that it becomes second nature in competition. Climbers learn to focus intensely on the present move, then taking some time to plan 2-3 moves ahead. Some things you can do in your day to day “training”? Stay focused on the most present and pressing tasks, then take time to look ahead and plan. Keep your balance – rest, fuel well, be active. And, look for solutions. When problems or frustrations occur, acknowledge, then start problem solving.
And the breathing thing… at one sketchy point on the side of that mountain, when I was most tense, my son looked down from his belay spot and said “relax dad, breathe.” Knowing it is one thing, doing it under pressure takes practice!

Have you ever wanted to say to a colleague or friend, “Just suck it up OK, we’re all working hard”?

Last year I created the presentation TOUGH TIMES, TOUGH TEAMS in response to many clients asking for leadership skills for helping colleagues during these tough times.  The central point is that in these tough times we need to suck it up and get the job done; but it also addresses the tough leadership skill of saying that to a colleague with empathy and compassion.  One analogy comes from my first time at the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii… late in the race when things were looking bleak.  After swimming 2.4 miles and biking 112 miles, I started my strongest event, the run – 26.2 miles.  But with 6+ hours done, the thought of running 3-4 more hours in the stifling heat was unimaginable… it was a Tough Time!  They had aid stations with food & water every mile, so instead of thinking about doing 26.2 miles, I just focused on getting to the next aid station one mile down the road.  I focused on each stride, my pacing, eating and drinking sufficiently and absorbing the cheers of the crowd.  By focusing on the task at hand, in this moment, and not the unknowns of the future miles, I was able to push on.  At the halfway point, I could begin to imagine the finish; I could envision success; I could pick up speed because I knew I could make it.

You can see the analogy here… in Tough Times, keep moving; stay focused on the task at hand; don’t worry about imagined problems in the future, worry about the moment; solve problems when they happen.  And finally, if you are a leader, keep cheering for your colleagues – people need encouragement in Tough Times!

“Tenacity is easier if you have no choice.”