FROM THE PRESIDENT
JANELLE FRENCH | MISSION ROCK RESIDENTIAL
Leading through COVID
“ The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things . He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things .”. – Ronald Reagan
Running has been a passion of mine for years . Not only is it
a great way to exercise , but I find it helps me clear my mind and get refocused . I am not a sprinter however . Slow and steady is the way I win my race ! Being determined to finish that last mile , getting to the end without stopping regardless of what obstacles I might encounter along the way or how long it takes .
As this pandemic continues to drag on with no clear end in sight , I find myself reflecting on the correlations between long distance running and managing our businesses through the uncertain times we find ourselves in .
1 . No Short Cuts . Leading through COVID has proven there are no short cuts - they often result in dead ends or require compromise and one thing for sure is we don ’ t know what is at the end of the COVID road , or even where the end of that road is , so there is no way to take a short cut to get there .
2 . Running mates . As leaders we are our team members power assist . We help them get through their day and reach their goals successfully . The on-site teams have been phenomenal through COVID and deserve our support and encouragement .
3 . Forerunner . Sometimes you must be willing to run alone and be the forerunner for others or for projects you are passionate about . Others will eventually follow , much like the crowd that joined Forrest Gump during his epic run in one of my favorite movies .
4 . Running Smooth . Seems harder to come by these days , but pre-COVID this was when the path was smooth with little challenge . It was when everything was “ just working ”. Thankfully , we can still strive for running smooth by having a committed team running with us .
5 . Obstacles . You are running the same course that you have been running in the past , but lately you are noticing obstacles in the road that weren ’ t there before . These are time wasters and energy drainers . You need to decide whether you are going to take a new route or how to remove those obstacles from your path .
6 . Distractions . If the path changes and you find yourself on an unfamiliar route , you need to be observant . These are times when you have pressing deadlines , clashing personalities and you end up dealing with things that you didn ’ t expect .
7 . Uphill Running . It takes strength , effort , and patience . To use strength , you must first build strength . Lofty goals require pushing yourself and challenging your team to reach their goals , much like running uphill .
8 . Running in the rain . If you wait for the perfect conditions you will never get anything done . All-weather running is like all-weather working , and the conditions over these last several months have been anything but perfect .
9 . Running against the wind . You can ’ t see the wind , but you can feel the pressure of it working against you . It takes confidence and desire to push through .
10 . Pace yourself . Running takes your whole body . If you don ’ t pace yourself , your body shuts down . This is true of a leader as well . You must pace yourself . COVID has caused many of us to try and push too hard . Leading while injured impacts the entire team . I always say go fast enough to get there but slow enough to see the way .
11 . Run your own race . Being too focused on your competition , on others , or on circumstances around you that you can ’ t control will cause a misstep . Everyone shines when it ’ s their time .
12 . Distance . As a leader , you set the course . As a leader , you keep your eye on the team goal . As a leader , you are the example your team looks to for guidance , so go the distance .
13 . Looking back . Was it a memorable run and was it a run that I can be proud to have finished . Did I treat others with kindness and respect along the way ? Did I lift up my team if any of them struggled along the way to make sure that we all crossed the finish line ?
14 . Pass the baton . There will come a time when you pass the baton to someone else . Make sure that you have led in such a way that your ceiling becomes their floor and they can pick up where you left off .
Start fresh , each day is new . Start strong , finish well . Bring your team with you and pass the baton .
As this COVID pandemic continues to play itself out , it is becoming more and more apparent that there is no true end in sight . We are all running a marathon with a finish line that keeps getting placed further and further down the road .
Frustration can and will set in along the way , but if we can keep focused on the length of road that we can see in front of us , while not losing site of the ultimate goal to cross the finish line , we will all eventually get there together .
6 | TRENDS OCTOBER 2020 www . aamdhq . org