Guardrails To Help You Climb

At the end of last year, I found myself paralyzed by fear, clinging to the side of a mountain.

My daughter and I were visiting Machu Picchu, and we had a guide for the day. We saw the sights, we went kayaking, and then we climbed the Machu Picchu mountain. If we had been touring on our own, I would not have chosen to climb this mountain, but our guide Carlos said we were climbing, so we climbed.

There were stretches that were no more than three feet wide. With no chain, no guardrail, it was terrifying. But when I took the time to feel my feet beneath me, trust the guide, and look, the views and the things we saw and learned were worth the difficult climb.

You might be feeling like you're paralyzed by fear, clinging to the side of a mountain. It might feel like you don't have a guide or guardrails, and right now the view isn't all that attractive. Not only did you not choose this, but it's also hard to admire the scenery when you are worried about free fall.

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It is important to disrupt yourself. That is how we grow. We can track the disruptions in our lives––whether we act ourselves or we are acted upon––by using the S Curve of Learning as a mental model or framework.

Normally, the plan is to learn, leap and repeat. When you get to the top of the S Curve, you jump. You disrupt yourself so you can continue to grow.

What's unique about right now is that we don't have to make the decision to disrupt ourselves or not. We are just disrupted. 

The question now becomes, what do we do? What do we do? Do we lay down and just sort of say, I give up? Or do we stand up and say, all right. “I am going to move forward. Even if I only move forward an inch at a time, I AM GOING TO MOVE.”

As we talked about last week, there are guardrails of disruption that can help us move along the S Curve of Learning when things are uncertain. This week, I want to offer some additional resources that will help you find calm amidst what feels like chaos.

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Guardrail #1 – Take the Right Risks

When we take the right risks, we play where no one else is playing. We think outside the box and move toward what is possible. And with lives on the line, we see people doing just that. Making use of what they have and what they know to help others. Like using 3D printers to help make life-saving ventilators. Or fashion designers and high-end apron companies are pivoting their operations to make masks for health care workers. What can you do with what you know to play where no one else is playing?

Guardrail #2 – Play to Your Distinctive Strengths

We often think of our weaknesses as blindspots, but our strengths can become blindspots as well. I mentioned this guardrail (along with a couple of others) when I had a chance to talk with my friend Richie Norton on his podcast. Our mutual friend Ayse Birsel created a beautiful illustration of some of the things we talked about––using her strengths.

Guardrail #3 – Embrace Your Constraints

Having a huge percentage of the workforce work remotely is a constraint we have to embrace right now. I’m talking to work specialist Cali Yost on yesterday’s episode of the Disrupt Yourself podcast about how we can embrace this constraint.

I was also encouraged by an article from podcast guest Safi Bahcall. He has a background in biotech and pharma and has some optimistic news to share on how we are buying time for progress toward a COVID vaccine as scientists around the world work toward a drug that will help save lives. By embracing the constraint of staying home, we're helping them do their work.

Guardrail #4 – Battle Entitlement

With unemployment on the rise, we may find it necessary to do work that we’re not accustomed to in order to support ourselves and our families. There are so many creative ways to do this. Wedding expert Meg Keene of A Practical Wedding has started a hotline for brides and wedding providers to get advice from wedding professionals, as well as started a Patreon to help keep her employees working while the wedding industry is on hold. How can you battle the way you've usually done things to see new solutions? New opportunities?

Guardrail #5 – Step Back to Grow

It feels like all of us have taken a step back right now––in our lives and our careers. But that step back always has the potential to facilitate growth. Growth for everyone if we are thoughtful in how we grow. Hubert Joly, Best Buy's Executive Chairman, wrote a really wonderful article for Harvard Business Review about ways to step back and think creatively in order to make business work for all stakeholders, not just stockholders.

Guardrail #6 – Give Failure Its Due

This one we could say is still early. But if we are willing to stay awake and stay aware, we will see what we could have done differently like this article outlines, and in the meantime, we are learning to breathe underwater. (Thanks to Sally Helgesen for sharing this poem.)

Guardrail #7 – Be Driven By Discovery

A recent guest on our podcast Tom Rath wrote this article for crafting a job for yourself in these uncertain times. He’s an expert on moving beyond a simple job title and letting your life lead your decisions about work.

In addition to these resources, I’m broadcasting live every morning on LinkedIn Live at 9:00 am Eastern about what I’m trying to do to keep calm in the midst of chaos. You can find prior recordings by visiting my profile on LinkedIn, or join us for the conversation live.

What is helping keep you steady in the midst of everything that is going on? If you have a link or idea to share, please leave a comment below.