First, you\u2019ve got to clear the bramble<\/strong>. My arms sport many bloody scratches from tearing out decades of thorny brush. To clear a path and reveal the beauty of the space we had to remove what got in the way.\nLeadership Lesson: Declare and hold a clear focus.<\/strong> Adaptability is critical to success, but there\u2019s a thin line between flexible and frantic. Ask around: do you have a reputation for being a \u201ccrisis of the month\u201d manager? Stop getting in your own way. Consider how you might more clearly communicate the central, unchanging values\/vision that underly your actions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- When you\u2019re stuck in the muck, stop to breathe.<\/strong> When I\u2019m in the water in my waders I never know how deep I\u2019ll sink with the next step. The first few times I got trapped in mid-thigh muck, I panicked. I learned to pause and breathe, relaxing into slow and deliberate movement, for that is the only way to release the suction.\n
Leadership Lesson:<\/strong> Practice self-awareness and emotional self-management. You WILL get sucked into emotional sink holes and crises occasionally, but you can\u2019t help anyone if you wallow in the muck of despair with the others. Nurture a breath or mindfulness practice that will equip you to slow down and reconnect with your grounded, confident self.<\/li>\n- Pain is a sign of progress, not a signal to stop.<\/strong> Mucking engages muscles in every part of the body to hack, saw, rake, lift, load, and transport the stuff. Even though my body is generally strong and flexible in the gym, there were days when I literally could not move after a mucking shift. Funny thing: every weekend I get more done and recover faster as my body adapts, a great reminder that pain is a sign of muscles breaking down and rebuilding.\n
Leadership Lesson: Continually stretch into discomfort.<\/strong> The best and deepest learning occurs when you try something new and make mistakes. Trust that no matter how much it hurts or is uncomfortable, you will recover and be stronger and better at it. That\u2019s called Wisdom and Experience (from the Latin, expireri, to try, test<\/em>, the same root as Experiment<\/em>).<\/li>\n- It\u2019s a never-ending project. <\/strong>No matter how much muck we remove, there will be new muck. Oh, sure, we can convince ourselves that we will be \u201cdone\u201d by the end of this summer, but we cannot stop the cycle of birth, death, and decay that accumulates in our pond.\n
Leadership and Life<\/u> Lesson: YOU are a never-ending project.<\/strong> No matter how skilled or experienced you become — or how happy or trapped or stable or stuck you feel \u2013 you will always be evolving, shedding some \u201cmuck\u201d from your present that no longer serves you in the future. You don\u2019t think this is true, but it is. It\u2019s called the End of History Illusion (Wiki entry here<\/a>, 4 minute TED talk here<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nThat\u2019s why leadership and personal development are considered processes vs specific places. <\/strong><\/p>\nIt\u2019s why the Pursuit of Happiness is a way to travel, not a destination.<\/strong><\/p>\nAnd it\u2019s why true Masters, in any domain, never stop learning new habits and dropping old ones. <\/strong><\/p>\n