The cheetah survives on the African plains by running down its prey and can sprint 70 miles per hour. But, according to the TV documentary I was watching, the cheetah can't sustain that pace for long. Inside its long, sleek body is a disproportionately small heart. This causes the cheetah to tire out quickly. Unless the speedster catches its prey on the first try, it has to abandon the chase.
Sometimes we approach leadership the same way. We zoom into projects with unbridled energy. But lacking energy for sustained effort, we fizzle out before we finish. We garner more resources, try new strategies, cut costs, manage the metrics, and vow to start faster and run harder.
What we need may not be more speed, but more staying power--stamina that comes only from having a bigger heart.
Nicely said.
Posted by: Anna Smith | December 14, 2010 at 11:12 AM
Organizations resist change usually much more passively than people seem to think. The response is basically to wait you out or wear you out. The only countermeasure to this is to last longer than the organization thinks you will.
Jamie Flinchbaugh
www.jamieflinchbaugh.com
Posted by: Jamie Flinchbaugh | December 16, 2010 at 06:05 AM
There are certain things you do not realize until you read them, and through your article I have come to realize those few but interesting and effective way to leadership.
Posted by: Poul Andreassen | December 28, 2010 at 06:45 AM