Like many people, I started the morning of January 1, 2020 reflecting on the end of 2019 and the start of a new year and decade. I thought about my successes, failures and the many lessons that I learned along the way. It gave me a great opportunity to think about how I wanted to start the year and what resolutions I could commit to.
I decided that my resolution for 2020 would be to read two books a month (of different genres) and extract leadership lessons that I could apply to my professional career. I decided my first book would combine my love of running with an awe inspiring goal and that is why I chose “North” by Scott Jurek. The thought of covering all 2,189 miles of the Appalachian Trail in forty-five days seemed reasonable, right? It may have seemed like an unimaginable feat, but did provide some valuable insights into team work and leadership.
Lesson #1: Your team is your greatest strength or weakness, treat them kindly always! There were numerous examples in the book of how Scott interacted with his fans (always with grace) and crew (asked for their suggestions, thanked them for their support and called on them when needed).
Lesson #2: When you are at your weakest moment not knowing if you can take another step, remember why you are there! Just like Scott, we are all great at something, but can always have moments of weakness. In moments like these, he remembered why he was there and how good the ultimate goal would feel once accomplished.
Lesson #3: You can have years of success, but still need to prove yourself. Scott had years of experience as a successful trail runner and won numerous awards, but he was still questioned by those he interacted with in-person and virtually. He used that energy to create success and accomplish his goal by creating a plan that was modified as needed to keep him focused.
This is a great book that I highly recommend. It was a wonderful reminder that the limits we have are truly those we place on ourselves.
Cheers to 2020 and Book #2!