Are you Pulling People Up?

As a parent, I spend a lot of time thinking about ways to incorporate life lessons into my boys’ day-to-day and sometimes surprise myself when a timely lesson pops up I can incorporate into my own career!

Both of my boys play ice hockey which naturally teaches them key business/life lessons like responsibility, teamwork, and how to navigate hotel travel…

My 10 year old’s team had a break over the Thanksgiving Holiday, which meant they needed some conditioning when they got back on the ice for the December year-end push.

In the movie Miracle about the USA Hockey Team’s incredible gold medal win in the 1980 Olympics, there is a scene where Coach Brooks skates the team after a disappointing performance.

“On the line!”

Down and back….

“Again!”

Down and back…?

“Again!”

This was the scene at a nondescript ice rink in North Chicago, IL on a Tuesday night for the team’s first practice back from break.

If you had been there with me you would have noticed my son looking side to side at his teammates as he skated up and down the ice making sure he wasn’t too far ahead or too far behind the pack.

His older brother did the same thing at his age…?

And so did his Dad, which is why I noticed… ??

After a few reps, Coach Tom threw in a twist:

“The last two finishers have to skate again...”

Now the boys got serious, found the next gear they were hiding and were off to the races…

Despite finishing at the front of the pack, my son still spot checked himself with his teammates up and down the ice.

I shared my observation with him back home at the dinner table and asked what would happen if he just focused straight ahead and skated as fast as he could?

“I would be way faster.”

And what do you think would happen to your teammates if you chose to skate this way?

“They would want to catch me and would skate faster too.”

So if you focused on being the best possible version of yourself, you could inspire teammates to work to be their best too?

A slight pause, then smile, and a nodding head…

He got it.

There are times in Dad life when my analogies/metaphors don’t always land, but I could tell this time was a direct hit for him…

And for me too...

Throughout my career I’ve had moments where I was more concerned about my performance compared to my peers, competitors, or budget goals versus what I was capable if I got lost in my craft and focused straight ahead.

When we choose to focus on maximizing our own potential, we create opportunities to inspire others and help pull them up to a higher level, which in turn levels up the entire organization.

As we approach 2024, we all have a choice...

Are you going to choose to compare yourself to others and do whatever it takes to stay just ahead of the crowd?

Or are you going to focus on maximizing your potential and pull those around you up in the journey of career and life?

Now....

Get on the line!