The Career Race of a Lifetime

Most people by the age of 10 have heard of Aesop's fable about the Tortoise and the Hare. When people discuss this story, you might typically hear conversations about how the tortoise won despite being extremely slow compared to the hare. The focus is usually around consistency, and you most likely will hear others use the famous quote that says, "Slow and steady always wins the race.". While this is true, most people forget about why the hare lost. When you break down the psychology of the hare, starting, stopping, and starting again gets overlooked. Like, why did the hare stop in the first place? The story says that the hare was arrogant, overconfident, and stopped to rest (i.e., burned itself out).

There's a correlation between the story and us as business owners, executives, leaders, and everyday workers. How many times have you or you've seen someone who started a business, a new job, or role, and you/they took off like the hare only to fizzle out midway? Maybe there's some arrogance, overconfidence, or people-pleasing that has you running for your professional life. It is absolutely normal that a person would want to prove to themselves and others that they deserve the position, but at what cost? The hare made the mistake of resting and forgot about the distance it was from the goal and the time it took to reach it. If you are a business owner or leader, how many times have you forgotten to delegate that work to someone else so that you have the energy to continue your race? If you are an employee whose plate is already full of tasks, how many times have you forgotten to delegate some of your work to colleagues who might have the availability and skills so you have the energy to continue your race?

Now the hare couldn't possibly delegate running a race to another animal, but its arrogance to prove that it was the fastest was undeniable in its loss. It is understandable that a person might have a fear of being replaced, outperformed, or overshadowed, but arrogance and ego can force a person to take on more than they actually can do, which tends to lead to the feeling of being overwhelmed. Becoming overwhelmed can lead to procrastination, irritation, loss of patience, or complete shutdown. So how can you make sure you finish your race and finish it with vigor and energy?

1. Come to the acceptance that you can't do it all. It's better to do what you can and delegate the rest to someone who is competent and be sure to ask for updates on the work being done.
2. Set internal boundaries with yourself and think win/win. There will be an abundance of opportunities to get recognition and hopefully promotions. If someone else has the availability, then that person can give you the gift of time so that you can complete other tasks or make it to important moments like your kids recital or spend time with your spouse, family, and friends.
3. Do a values exercise. This can be completed by yourself or with a coach. It's important to know what your values are in your personal and professional life.
4. Practice gratitude. Gratitude is a form of humility. The end of the story goes that the hare lost and asked for a rematch because it said it wasn't fair because it was asleep, but no one listened to the hare. The lack of humility at the beginning of the story gave way to a lack of understanding at the end of the story.
5. Get a coach, consultant/advisor, or surround yourself with people who can ask the right questions and give you sound advice. Those people can easily remind you that there is a reason why you have the position and that you don't have to overextend yourself to prove your worth.

Cedric Nicholson, CTACC