A conversation with Mary Lee Tracy, owner of Cincinnati Gymnastics and coach of multiple Olympians, helped me understan the difference between average and elite. She said that at the beginning of a practice, everyone starts the same way, with somersaults and cartwheels. Only then moving on to round-offs and ariels. The mundane things create the foundation for doing more complicated motions. But the different is that Olympians do the mundane at a level called “excellent.”
If you want to succeed it will be beacuse of the foundational things that you do with excellence. What are they for you? There may be things specific to your business, but here are three that I find to be universal:
(1) Self-Awareness & Self-Care: Take time to know yourself, embrace yourself, then lead yourself. Only then can you lead others. Working on yourself is not selfish because only when you are at your best can you be the leader your people need. There’s a really good project that helps you be at your best which I’ll write about later.
(2) Communication: Take time with your words. Choose them carefully, the right words, not too many, and not too few. Too many words leads to confusion about what is important. Too few words and people may have to guess at your point.
(3) Relationships: Take time to know the people with whom you work and play. It’s not a waste of time to take time to make time for chit-chat. People are your greatest resource. Know details and take time to check in on people. When people know that you care, they will be more engaged in their work.
What are the small things that will make a difference for you? Choose one to work on this week.
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Jeffery A. Raker
Owner, Level Up Leadership Coaching