Over the weekend my wife and I went ‘rock climbing’ with Michael and Vanessa (some great friends of ours). Now when I say ‘rock climbing’ I definately DO NOT mean outside on the side of a mountain…I would die or be seriously injured! I mean at an indoor rock climbing wall!
It was very hard (at some points) but a lot of fun! I never thought I would go to a rock climbing wall and pull away with leadership lessons…but I did! I’d love to share but first I need to fill you in on some basics of ‘rock climbing’ and what not…
When rock climbing you have a climber and one who ‘belays.’ The climber climbs with a rope attached to them. The one belaying is in on the ground controlling the rope (which runs from the climber, to the ceiling, and back down to them) for safety. Now, onto the leadership lessons…
the leader isn’t the one in spotlight
Although the climber is the one everyone is watching…they aren’t the leader. The leader is the one on the ground, holding the rope. Why…? a few reasons actually
- They can see the bigger picture (the climber can only see where they’re at in that moment)
- They are serving the climber to help them reach their best.
- They are encouraging the climber that its ok to fall (fail) because they have them.
- They are unseen yet focused on empowering the climber to be their best.
My job as a leader is to get my butt off the top of the org. chart and underneath those around me; PUSHING them up towards success! Just like the one belaying can’t do that by going on the wall and doing it for the one climbing, I can’t either. It’s not that I don’t want to, but because at that point I am more concerned about how ‘it’ gets done more than empowering those around me.
My passion is to always help the people around me to see a bigger picture and to create an environment where they KNOW I want them to reach their best and that it’s ok to go 100% and fail. We learn from our failures, we don’t flee from them! I want to empower others to be their best!
communication matters
Before the climber steps one foot on the wall they have to tell the one belaying them that they are ready, followed by the one belaying saying they are ready. Then before the climber even starts to climb they let the one belaying know…”I’m climbing” to which they reply…”Climb on.”
Then, when they are on the wall they are still talking to each other the whole way. It may be about needing rest, can’t see where to go next, slipping, etc. Either way, their talking! What did this teach me as a leader?
- It is more beneficial to ‘over communicate’ than it is to ‘under communicate’
- Before starting someone in a new spot (or a new project)…communicate clearly before the first action is taken
- If we don’t practice communicating clearly, there’s a good chance it won’t be clear when we need it to be
- Communication is key to success
The number one issue I’ve seen come up through the years when it comes to leadership is poor communication. I never intentionally planed to communicate poorly; I was just unintentional about communicating clearly. Big difference. Since then, I’m learning to communicate everything as many times as I can to those who need to hear it! When we feel like we’ve said it a thousand times…someone’s getting it for the first time! 
Well…I think that’s it! It was a great experience and I loved the time my wife and I got to spend with our great friends!
What about you? What leadership lessons have you learned lately?