Walk your Talk … Vertically!!

When I tell people I’m taking an indoor climbing class at Pacific Edge, their “Good for you!” is usually followed quickly by “Why?”

My Whys

I have several whys.  Every day, I ask leaders to commit to something without knowing how to do it and without a guarantee of success. I ask them to step outside their comfort zone, be vulnerable, listen more deeply, take care of their well-being (they are a precious resource) and shift their mindset. I don’t ask once, but again and again.  Taking this class gives me the experience (somewhat) of what I am asking them to do – experiment, fail, try again, make progress. In essence, to develop.

Then, there’s the why of being physically fit.  I ask my body to play tennis full out for 2-3 hours a couple times a week, lift field stones to build garden walls, and walk briskly for 2 miles while having enough breath for a conversation with my partner.  Taking this class helps me build my lung capacity and my capacity to quiet my inner critic shouting “you’ve done enough, you may not succeed, be careful.”

As for my mindset, this class helps me calibrate the challenges that are appropriate (small wins when I’m learning something new) and those that are Evil Knievel-ish and too risky (because I’m trying to prove myself).   I did a climb blindfolded. That was fun. I declined to attempt the chimney climb. It looked to have a high probability of incurring an injury and jeopardizing tennis and walking, aka, not worth the risk. (Watch someone climb the chimney.)

If you’re in business, you’re on a climb.  You’re challenging yourself to reach the “top” you’ve declared.  Without knowing where the toe holds are or if your legs will lift you high enough for you to grasp the hand hold you spy, you begin. You begin because you commit to a possibility.

On the route, you often encounter volatility, uncertainty and the unforeseen.  In these moments, the possibility you committed to may fade or seem like the wrong commitment to have made.  In these moments, while you don’t need a rope or a safety harness, you do need gear.

Gear up!

9-yr-old Caity, fearless, going for it.

When you’re on your daily work climb, it may seem easier to be on a real physical climb on an actual mountain.  Sometimes, it’s that way for me.  Physical challenges are in a different domain than the non-physical ones. For most of us knowledge workers, our routes are rife with self-doubt, concern, what ifs and what abouts and, hopefully, populated with successes and satisfaction.

(Full disclosure: If you ask any climber, and I did, about their routes, they too say they are inhabited by the same self-doubt conversations. Aka, the grass is not greener. Both of us don’t have to be stopped by the doubts; we can use them to energize our respective climbs.)

Whether it’s a real or virtual mountain, each climber/leader needs gear from the storehouse called  “Generating Commitment”.   (Big Note: This storehouse is not called “One & Done Commitment” – it’s called generating to distinguish ongoing and continually.)

1^st:     Declare (state) your whys. If your first response is “for the money”, don’t stop there.  Say why the money matters to you. (Does it provide you with the ability to care of your family? Does it bolster your self-confidence or esteem?) I suspect the more you answer “why”, you’ll find more compelling, inspirational, more meaningful whys.

2^nd:     Assess each why and identify what you are currently doing to live it and generate it daily.

3^rd:     Whatever your assessment, own it – don’t deny or sugar-coat it.  Then choose your next move.  Is there an action to take? Is there something to acknowledge and put in the past? Is it supportive to revoke your commitment, or to reformulate and recommit to it newly?

This reflection and self-assessment gives you the opportunity to choose. Choosing is fundamental gear for leaders who lead themselves first, then ask others to join the journey.

In Part 2 of this series, I’ll share the calls-and-responses between climber and belayer.  It’s a conversation of support, trust, accountability, possibility and results.

You’re gonna love it.  Enjoy your climb!