Touching My Toes

Time for a confession: I can’t touch my toes. Not with my legs straight and my knees locked. Maybe you can’t either, but I was an athlete in my younger days and I still am physically active, so it seems like I should be able to do this simple exercise. The truth is that I can’t remember ever being able to touch my toes. Stretching was never much of a priority for me, so over the years my flexibility diminished more and more. Then about three years ago, I had a minor foot injury that wouldn’t go away. Part of the treatment was to do toe touches as soon as I got out of bed every morning (or at least attempt it), plus some other stretches later in the day. Day by day, my flexibility has gradually improved to the point where I can nearly touch my toes. You probably know the steps that will take your leadership to the next level. They may be a lot like my stretching exercises. You may not enjoy them, and the results may not come quickly. But if you diligently apply yourself, it will make a meaningful, measurable difference over time. The problem is that it’s easy to put off those steps until “tomorrow” when you will “have more time.” I did that for a couple of decades with my stretching. Tomorrow may seem like it will be less busy, but it rarely is. I’m writing this blog in the week following the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. As usual, it was an incredible event with great speakers and plenty of wisdom for leaders to apply. Perhaps too much wisdom, which may cause you to wonder where to start. In choosing to work on toe touches, I’ve also chosen to ignore other kinds of stretching. My recommendation is that you focus on one or two key areas of leadership development, whether those are lessons from the Summit, a book you’ve read, or some other resources. Keep “stretching” in that specific area until you’ve mastered it. In the first few weeks after my foot injury, the healing was negligible. The doctor offered a surgical alternative. Sometimes, a more radical, invasive option is the right answer for athletic injuries and leaders. But I’m glad that skipped the scalpel and stuck with stretching; most leaders should choose to do the same. It’s easy to receive my blogs by email. Just sign-up on Feedburner by clicking here.]]>