The Ultimate in Extreme Leadership Development
Sep 30th, 2008 by admin
You’ve probably been subjected to some kind of extreme leadership or team building experience, right? They are carefully designed to evoke high levels of fear, usually created through an illusion of being physically at risk.
Some of the most common experiences include high rope courses, zip lines, repelling, white water rafting, fire walking, parachute jumping, rock climbing, or maybe even a NASCAR experience.
These experiences are supposed to give us a powerful new perspective for our everyday work world. Somehow we’ll be transformed into better leaders, more aligned team members, or more creative problem solvers.
Imagine, all that after spending a weekend dangling from the top of a telephone pole or repelling off a 60 foot rock wall. Of course, the problem with these kinds of experiences is that the illusion of being truly at risk is easily shattered. We quickly learn that if we slip, we’re safely suspended by a rope capable of holding 20 times our own weight.
But that’s not the way it works back at the office, is it? If you slip up there, you may not always get a lot of support. You may be left to dangle on your own, or your life line may even be severed.
Besides, what we fear as leaders is not being physically vulnerable; it’s the fear of being emotionally exposed and vulnerable.
It’s the fear of hearing what your direct reports and peers really think about you. It’s the fear of admitting when you’re wrong. It’s the fear of appearing weak when we say “I’m sorry, or I love you.” It’s the fear of saying no. It’s the fear of seeing what has really gone wrong is our own leadership. It’s the fear of standing alone when there’s nothing to support you other than your own values and convictions.
If you truly want to be transformed as a leader, face what you most fear saying, doing or discovering. You know what it is you have been resisting for far too long, don’t you? You already know what you are avoiding. You already know what limits your leadership. It is the very thing you are afraid to take on.
The answer for doing that won’t be found at the top of a 50 foot pole or at the bottom of class 5 rapids. The answer lies within your own heart, and acting on that with courage and grace will forever change your life and career. That is the ultimate leadership development experience.
P.S. If you’re stuck, read my article “Create the Courage to Live Your Life on Purpose”.
