Finally, a page for all you professionals who think to yourselves....."I really must find time to do some exercise and get fit!"
At the same time, how many of us find the time to tune our leadership skills and read up on the latest thinking on leadership?
"Fit-to-Lead" is just for you!
Fitness heightens health and performance.....
I bike to work each day. 10km each way. Each full-pace ride takes between 21 and 23 minutes. This means in a working week, I clock up more than 100 km and nearly 4 hours of exhilerating cardio! Whats more I get to work fresh, buzzing and ready-to-go!
I love to run too! I enjoy the personal time it gives me to push myself and think through ideas and problems, practice speeches and presentations. It's fun and satisfying to run through the local vineyards, forest and hills on a cool, misty summers morning or crisp, cold and frosty January day!
I have run marathons in Chicago and also the famous Boston Marathon with times of 3hrs.16 and 3hrs.26. Marathon training is very tough and so for fun (!), I have also run a number of half marathons, including my favourite, the excellent "Indy Half Marathon" in Indianapolis, finishing in about 95 minutes. Running is definately my thing!
The Benefits of Commitment
Personally, I commit to running, walking or biking 45 minutes/day. At weekends I take a long run for 90 minutes. I find doing the work out mornings ensures it gets done. Often, other things get in the way if it is left to later in the day. At weekends, I take my youngest son JAMES with me. Although he resists at the outset, we always have a great time; It is a perfect opportunity for quality time together and to take in a treat at the local Italian coffee shop! (our motivation of course!)
I have seen that this regime keeps me amazingly fit and healthy. It has been a long time since I visited a doctor (touch wood!) and I almost never get coughs or colds. I am convinced it is the consistent regime plus a balanced diet that allows this level of health. I enter work full of energy. A lunch time running club with business colleagues is a great way to bond and reduce office stress!
Take a minute to scan one of these simple exercise programs - try it out and measure your improvement over the weeks. You will be amazed at your progress!
Leadership is an art!
Leaders, Leadership and Leadership skills interest me a great deal.
Leaders who have inspired me include the Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Gandi, whilst even in my home town city of Liverpool John Lennon united the music world whilst Bill Shankly brought pride, togetherness and a new sense of purpose to its people through building a famous football club!
However, it is a challenge to disseminate the knowledge and skills we have when opportunities to lead occur - particularly "in the heat of battle". I try my best to remain deeply aware of the situation around me and to react to situations in a way that I believe a leader should react. A great current example of a cool, composed, intelligent leader is Barack Obama. I believe Mr. Obama is poised to leave a legacy as being one of the great leaders and world uniters.Watch this space!
Leadership is natural and also a skill. We can get better at it if we can understand and train ourselves. I commit to keep current on leadership best practices and try to continually implement what I learn so that good leadership becomes a behavior - (I don't always succeed but I am getting better!)
I try to take 30 minutes to read latest thinking and practices from The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). I have added a link to CCL on on this website and will add a new topic to this page each month. Other great communication tools are PI indexing (www.piworldwide.com) and the Process Communication Model (through our partner Gems Europe)
Let me know if you find "Fit-to-Lead" useful!
Have fun, lead, and keep fit!
Kevin
