Leadership Lessons from a Climbing Adventure – Part 2 in a Series

I went rock climbing recently. It was a ball! I used to make time for it consistently and hope to make it more of a priority again.

It’s always fun to revisit an activity like that after years. You find that you have a whole new perspective. I am at a very different place in my life than I was when I last strapped those shoes on and tightened that harness.

I guess that I must still feel pretty at ease way up the wall because my mind was on more than where I would put my foot or hand next. I couldn’t help but think about how many analogies there are to make between climbing and leadership.

The second lesson; your initial instinct isn’t always the most effective. When I climb, often my first instinct is to pull myself up with my arms. It just seems like the right thing to do and is the natural response. The tried and true method, however, and what truly makes more sense when you hear the logic behind it, is to rely on your legs to do a majority of the work. The goal is to find a strong foot hold and stand and push from the power your leg muscles can exert. It is much easier to push your body weight up with the muscle of your legs than to pull it with your arms, particularly when a hand hold may be nothing more than finger tips clinging to the edges of a crevice.

How often in your business are your processes based on habit or what comes naturally rather than what would be most efficient? When is the last time that you initiated any kind of process improvement activities with your team? Occasionally you need to stop and take a bird’s eye view at how you and your team are completing tasks. Often, a small tweak can increase productivity dramatically.