“Dan, why are you posting a picture of you and your wife hiking in Israel online.”
Good question from a valued and cherished friend. My purpose was very LinkedIn-y, but clearly I neglected to make it explicit. So here’s the answer to my friend’s challenge:
For the last couple of years I’ve had the privilege of partnering with my friends at the telos institute on several wonderful projects helping accomplished leaders achieve more. Helping purpose-driven executives lead through extraordinary challenge.
One of the things I love most about telos is their conviction around the transformational potential of the outdoors. As a believer in the transformational potential of air conditioning, working with people who have pushed me outside has opened up new doors for me.
Re-engaging with the outdoors, among its advantages, has offered me the opportunity to press the pause button on daily tactical work to think at a higher level.
It has offered quiet. No screens. No buzzes or tones. Last week it was just me, the better half, the puppy, and our thoughts. And the lovely vistas around the hills near our home.
Any effective leader with tell you: part of leadership is establishing a cadence of thinking at a higher level. Of disengaging from the day-to-day for a brief, protected period of time in order to learn, seek connections, generate fresh ideas.
How many of us are able to do that in our daily work spaces, with all their attendant distractions?
Some clients reduce the noise by going to coffee houses, others to hotel lobbies, still others to home offices. Some have even booked cross-country flights just to have a solid chunk of device-free thinking time.
What if, once a month, you took that process outside? What might that offer?
My cherished friend’s critique of my original post was spot on, so let me take this opportunity to be more explicit: To all you folks out there who lead organizations large and small, who lead teams large and small…
Those of you who lead families…
Maybe even those of you who lead a team of one…
See what a change in environment does for you–for your creativity, for your ability to clear your head, to recognize connections, to generate compelling ideas. Get outside in the rain, snow, or clear. Hike your neighborhood, a local park, or points farther removed.
And see what being outside has to offer.
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