It is 5 am in Mbabane, and I am ready for my morning walk. The difference is that today, I am taking this walk alone.
My walking partner, Tinashe (my husband), has traveled on business. I find myself keeping the momentum I always keep with him. I pause and ask myself, "Why am I pressuring myself with this speed?" I try to slow down, but the usual rhythm is calling me.
I begin to reminisce on our journey into the 5 am club. I remember us setting the goal of staying active and our experiences living up to that goal. The initial pace gave us 5km/hour, but there was a problem. Tinashe was not benefiting much from the walk as he felt not stretched. Therefore, we came up with a win-win solution; Tinashe would take the lead, which meant he would be far ahead of me and raise the bar to 7.5km/hour.
Our height difference became more apparent when we set the goal of walking 7.5km/hour. I noted that I had to take two steps to compensate for Tinashe's one step.
I quickly realized that win-win solutions do not always feel good in practice as I saw the distance between us widening rapidly-it was a bit discouraging. The mood lifted when I saw Tinashe accelerating ahead and coming back for me. So he swung front and back, and I felt included and enjoyed his company. We maintained that rhythm for over a year to the extent that I cannot remember how I picked up his pace.
I know we now walk as if we are of the same height; our pace has gotten in sync so that I maintain the rhythm even when I am walking alone. Today, I walked 7.5 km/hour alone.
Here are a few leadership insights I pick from our story above:
When leaders set the pace, they must do so with a mind-frame that challenges and supports the team.
Catalyst leaders swing between three places: They take the front position when they lead by example. They coach for performance in the middle and back when they support and encourage.
The ultimate sign of leadership influence is when the pace of the leader and team are in sync.
Empowerment is having the team catch the leader's pace and deliver quality results without the leader.
What are your lessons from the story?