It’s Your Turn - Let’s Get Started

To this point, I’ve shared intentionally basic high-level scenarios and I’ve purposefully shied away from anything remotely adverse. Not only am I sure you’ve experienced similar situations, I’d bet you’ve been through far worse - and I’ll bet you’ve found yourself back in that headspace as I alluded to just the basics of some of mine. But have you found the seed that was available?

Something I realize with more certainty with each passing year is that I’ve never pulled as much wisdom as I could have as I fought through tough times, or immediately after. As much as I struggle with dedicating time to reflect on my experiences, it’s proven to be incredibly valuable when I’ve forced myself to pause long enough to find the seed that inevitably hidden in even the mildest misfortune or heartache. But if that’s where I stopped, all I’d have is a drawer full of seeds.

I’ve often heard the phrase, “God can’t steer a parked car,” alluding to James 2:17 (“Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” NKJV). All the reflection in the world won’t be enough if that’s where we stop. That said, the inverse is just as true: it doesn’t matter how hard we work if we’re doing the wrong things. When we combine reflection and action, though, magic happens. If we identify our seeds of equal or greater benefit through reflection, action plants those seeds. And then the real work starts.

In The Values Advantage, I emphasized how consistently discussing and modeling our values with the teams we lead has far more impact than the loudest speech we could even give. I referenced consistency more than two dozen times in Leveraging Leadership Growth. If action plants the seeds we’ve identified through reflection, consistency nurtures those seeds so they have a chance to grow. Persistence and stamina will make the difference in whether we’re the ones who're still around to reap the harvest.

There’s one more reason for my brevity so far: without framing intent correctly, detailing even the slightest misfortune is nothing more than a sob story. This ain’t that! I’m convinced that I continue to find seeds today from things I experienced decades ago because the lens I have to look through has become stronger. And things that were all but insurmountable years before are barely a speed bump today. If we can pull even the smallest seed from a bad situation, and grow through it, we’re more prepared for the next - then the next. Without those initial trials and tribulations, we’d be completely unprepared for the stuff that will eventually hit the fan. Even then, though, preparedness comes through action.

As we dive into this with both feet, I’ll share specific (and often painful) details from my journey for one very specific reason: to challenge you to find the seeds that have been hidden in your own journey. I’ll start simple and build; that’s how life works. As we complete each step in the process, I’ll ask you to answer a series of questions to be sure I’m doing everything I possibly can to ensure you’re Making the Best of YOUR Bad Situation. Before we get there, what’s the ONE situation you’ve thought about the most so far? Have you found a seed hidden in it? Are there more still to be found? Write this down, share it with me - or someone. It’s your turn - let’s get started!