A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world. –John le carre
Another week. Another trade show. Another Resilient Worker lesson! This time down in Mickey’s backyard in Orlando, Florida. Early on the first morning of my conference, I was catching up on e-mail before heading out to the trade show floor. One e-mail rolled into the next and, before I knew it, a few hours had passed. Left unchecked, I could have spent the whole day responding to inconsequential tasks and reacting to issues. But what about my customers on the floor who needed guidance and solutions to their business needs? What about my colleagues who needed help and support in the booth? What about the feeling of exhilaration and laughter (or crying!) in the conference hall? I wasn’t truly living by shuffling through e-mail and responding to fires. I needed to get out into the world and experience life in person. And isn’t that true of all of us?
In our work lives, our desk and computer can easily become a crutch to get us through the day. But as managers, our lifeblood is the team under our care. We will only be successful if we can motivate, coach and guide each individual team member to maximize his or her potential. The same is true with our clients. The same is true with our students. The same is true with any position that requires leadership and motivation. Your presence (literally) is your greatest asset. But you can’t be present from behind a desk. You can’t be present over e-mail. Changing your organization starts with face-to-face communication. That is where all the magic happens. Need to address a perceived decline in office morale? Call a team meeting and passionately deliver your vision for the future. Haven’t heard from a client in a few months? Set up a lunch and tell them in person how much you truly value their business. Sensing a student or player is falling perilously behind? Set up a conference and directly communicate your concerns to all family members. You can’t influence the world from your desk. You can’t make a true connection over e-mail. Your greatest assets are your honesty, empathy and enthusiasm. Get out into the world and share your passion with all who care to listen!
The same principle applies to your personal life. You can’t avoid a tough conversation with a family member by sending an e-mail. You can’t always say “I love you” over text. You can’t assume that people know how important they are in your life. You have to show it! Haven’t been spending enough time with the family? Unplug and plan a “staycation” without any phones or computers. Haven’t seen your parents/brothers/sisters in a few years? Make a point to check in and plan a visit. Haven’t told your spouse how much you appreciate their positive influence on your life? Carve out some quality time to be face-to-face instead of sending flowers. Thinking about your loved ones is not enough. You need to get out from behind the desk and show how much you care about them in person!
But we all have difficult moments when we want to hide behind our “desk” and recuperate. Raise your hand if, at some point, you have wanted to take the easy way out and avoid human contact altogether (I have two hands in the air!) There are days when you need a security blanket and want to lock out the world around you. Perhaps you have felt a loss of self-worth at the office due to poor performance. Perhaps your team is so emotionally challenging you want to avoid the nightmare of interaction with them entirely. Perhaps you have been hurt in a relationship and want to avoid any further damage by building a wall. These are all natural feelings. You do not have to be turbo-charged and extroverted your entire life. But if you want to stay resilient, you need to eventually get out from behind your desk and throw yourself into the real world. You can’t move forward by diving under the covers. You can’t impact the world by building your own cocoon. Life is meant to be lived boldly. There will be confrontation. There will be mess. But as long as you stay active and share your passion with others, you will experience the joy of a fulfilling and successful life!
So step forward and soak in all the wonderful things in your life. Engage with your team! Empathize with your clients! Inspire your students and players! Embrace your family! Feel the warm sunshine on your face and laugh heartily with your friends! Life is not meant to be lived behind a desk. It’s time to start boldly embracing all that the world has to offer!
Until next week, keep smiling!