We ran into a former VIM Executive Coaching client and friend the other day who, at 54-years-old can easily qualify to enter a masters fitness competition across many sports. We have never quite known someone who has taken so many physical fitness courses and tried so many pieces of training equipment. Were he not a successful marketer and developer of software we are certain he could be a walk-on as a trainer.
So, off-handedly, we asked what intensive courses he had plunged into as winter approached. With a broad smile he rattled off “Glutes, Abs and More,” and “Me, Skis and Knees.” He laughed at the course names (one of his endearing traits is that he is not given to a lot of puffery and self-importance).
We reminded him that over the summer he had worked out with a trainer who offered a course entitled “Bikes and Hikes.” He again laughed as he explained that with a minor variation or two, “Bikes and Hikes” was remarkably similar to “Me, Skis and Knees.”
The course names, he conceded, were marketing names to induce participation however, at the end of the workout day, they pretty much accomplished the same thing and worked the same areas of the body. The course names encouraged the social aspects of exercise.
Fair enough
The end-game as our friend saw it, had nothing to do with course names or getting in shape for hiking season or ski season, but to maintain a level of continuous fitness in order to lead a healthier life and maintain a sharper mental as well as physical state. It was a mindful and authentic assessment. It wasn’t so much the names they gave to the classes but the opportunity for him to continue to hone his health with some like-minded people.
Our friend did note than while there was a core of folks who liked the social aspects of working out and staying active, there were some who grew bored or even resentful of the instruction for reasons difficult to define.
“In my years of working out,” he noted, “far too many participants believe one class or course will solve all of their physical fitness problems and meet all of their goals. So, they walk away, often blaming the instructor or the course approach.”
Without prompting or pause, he noted that the same mindset was often the view of those who engage in mindfulness meditation and executive leadership training and then walk away when the results are not instantaneous.
The road is simple; the excuses are complex
Whether self-improvement of a physical nature or self-improvement in terms of executive leadership training, mindfulness work and achieving greater compassion and authenticity, the road itself is relatively simple. It is the act of embarking on a journey of intention, where one step, one exercise or one personal accomplishment leads to the next.
Whether the accomplishment is intended to result in 50 pushups and 100 sit-ups or to become more mindful and to be a better manager in a business setting, no one expects perfection on day one, or even day twenty, but instead to work toward a greater version of oneself with each day (or session).
The problem is that while the road itself may be simple, the roadblocks, twists and turns imposed on the process often prevent the achievement of the goal. Excuses abound. Our acquaintance at 54, is in far better condition than most at 34 not because of genetics or diet. But because he works at it on a daily and weekly basis.
In a similar manner, the secrets of mindful executive leadership aren’t locked in a single course or catch-phrase or podcast but as the result of a long-term intention to get better and to become more effective. The end-result isn’t fueled by magic, but by purpose.