Running with Purpose

I have been off my exercise routine this week. I came down with a nasty bug after a work trip (fortunately not COVID)? and it has taken me well into the week to start feeling close to normal.? While not 100%, I wanted to get back out there so I asked my 14Y son to join me for a slow, relatively short 2 mile run this morning.??

I was pleasantly surprised when he said “Sure!” He has been running cross country and is in the middle of training before school starts. I had no illusions about my ability to keep up and told him so. I emphasized this would be a slower pace and expected us to run together for the full stretch.

The moment we started his pace put him 5 steps ahead of me. He never looked back and passed me on his back half of the route before I even got to the halfway point.

I was pissed! At first I was angry at him. I told him I would be running slower. I expected him to match my pace. I quickly realized that was not fair and probably more important that he runs more consistent with the pace from his training.? Why should I hold him back?

I was then even more upset at myself! Why could I not keep up? I am a grown man, he is a 14Y kid. I exercise regularly, I am in decent shape. What is wrong with me!

As I was still running (yes still running, remember a really slow pace) and grappling with these emotions it struck me I have exactly the same feelings about my team. That thought nearly made me run into a tree, it hit me so hard.

I am fortunate to have an incredibly strong and passionate leadership team as part of Passport ’s revenue team. Brian Pagels , Jason Sutton, CAPP Sutton, Catherine Dunwoodie , and Greg Wakefield are wonderful leaders in their own right and I am thankful for their expertise every day. This team is responsible for everything from securing new clients into the Passport family to managing the overall health and relationship of these clients over their lifespan and everything in between.?

The reality is that on any given day each one of these leaders may be “outpacing” me in a specific area.? They all have unique strengths that make them special. That is part of the reason we hired them. It can be uncomfortable, however, as the Chief Revenue Officer to see them excelling in areas that I may not be able to do as well.?

I realized this morning as I was running that I go through the exact range of emotions I was feeling towards my son as he sprinted away in the distance. Emotions ranging from “How dare they do better than me” to “Am I not good enough to be their leader if I cannot outperform them in this specific area.” I must admit these are hard emotions to grapple with and I don't always get it right.

What I realized this morning was that I was not running to beat my 14Y son!?

I was running to get stronger. I was running to make myself a better person. I was running because it was the right thing to do for me. I do not need to be faster than him. I do need to set an example, however, that it is important to do this even when it is hard (such as when you are getting over a nasty bug). I do need to show him that consistently and commitment can be more important that an individual performance in the long run.

In short, I was running with a purpose that was bigger than this individual event.

This is how I think about my leadership team. I am thankful that they each have skills in areas that are better than perhaps what I could do.? In fact, I and Passport need them to excel in their roles beyond what even I could imagine for us to be successful.??

I need to remember that my purpose is not to be better than but to maximize their skills. My purpose is to help provide the framework in which they can be successful. My purpose is to look at the long-term and understand where their individual efforts fit. My purpose is to lead with consistency and compassion. My purpose is to become a better person each day because of how well these leaders are lifted up.

This is why I run. This is also why I surround myself with people who excel in ways that I may never meet. If I tell the truth, I was never more proud than when my son lapped me this morning.?

I hope to see each of you out there running with your purpose!