Playing Whack-a-Mole #190
If you’ve ever seen a game of Whack-a-Mole, you understand the sense of anxiety it creates. When it’s time to hit the moles, they seem to accelerate faster than you can react and it causes stress. Metaphorically speaking, this can be what a day in the life of any leader can feel like.
I had a Whack-a-Mole adventure recently, with a week bracketed by two east coast trips. Following 6 days in Arizona, I was home for 18 hours. I flew to NY for two days, then back to Minnesota for part of a day. I flew to Boston and had a 90-minute drive to Maine, where I spent the last two days of my travels. It was terrific, until the last trip.
I hit bad weather (50 mph winds and rain on the edge of the ocean) and had minimal details for the trip. I ended up in a secluded area with limited Wifi and transportation. Based on the way things were shaping up, the offsite should have gone badly, but it didn’t.
Our core values don’t allow it, and thankfully, my clients share similar values. So, we made it work – all of it. Was it flawless? No. It tested our problem-solving abilities, it was challenging and memorable. It’s already a story worth sharing. It wasn’t always fun, yet it was meaningful and energizing as we conquered all that accompanied the trip. We are all better for it.
Though leadership can look, sound, and feel like playing Whack-a-Mole at times, it’s still a game worth winning. Though the challenges keep popping up, who we become while “whacking” them makes us more effective leaders.