Lessons on Leadership from the Little Things in Life: Age and Time Happen to Everyone
Life is full of examples that teach us lessons. That’s why stories and illustrations make learning so much more effective. When a story can be used to illustrate or demonstrate a valuable lesson, the story makes it much more understandable, relatable, and memorable. With that in mind, I want to take some time to do just that – share examples of circumstances and stories experienced in everyday life which illustrate leadership lessons that we can learn and apply. This is one of those examples, and it teaches us something about the change that happens over time.
I had an obvious and humbling reminder of this as I was playing with my grandchildren. We were on the floor together, playing with their toys, when I needed to get up to put the dog outside. I stood up, and that’s when it happened: I heard myself groan out loud. The sound of it stopped me in my tracks as I realized what it meant. I’m sure it was not the first time I groaned like that, but it was the first time that I noticed it. And that made me start thinking about all the other things that I do and the help that I need, like wearing readers or taking medicine, simply because I am aging.
You see, people, relationships, and circumstances do not remain static. They age and change over time (like me) and when they do, they require maintenance and care. In fact, experience and my counseling background have taught me that these things (people, relationships, and circumstances) tend to be either in a state of cultivation or deterioration, but not in between. They don’t stay the same, they don’t remain stagnant, so if you are not intentionally cultivating them, they will naturally decline and deteriorate. That’s the reason why you have to work at maintaining and developing them.
The same is true in organizations, which is significant for your leadership. They don’t remain static, but, rather, age and time bring change. Therefore you have to be intentional about how you navigate it. Some things need regular maintenance, like an oil change. Some things have become worn down and need to be refreshed, like a tuneup for your car. Some things need to be updated or replaced because they’ve worn out or are broken down, like when I had to replace the heating element in my dryer because it was no longer working effectively. Regardless, you cannot ignore it or do nothing. If you are not taking steps to address it, things will break down, and the damage and cost will be much more significant and more difficult to repair.
That’s the lesson on leadership from this little thing in life, from hearing myself groan as I stood up. Wear and tear happens over time, which leads to deterioration. It is necessary for you to be intentional about maintaining and cultivating people, relationships, and your organization in order to navigate change with progress and growth and to maintain health. Remember, your organization either develops or declines, in part, based on how you take care of it. Age and time catches up to everyone, so be intentional about how you manage it.
