10 Leadership Lessons from a Half Marathon

Several weeks ago, I completed my first half marathon. Making the decision to do it, disciplining myself to train for it, standing in the middle of the street in downtown Detroit at 6:30 a.m. on a chilly morning with anxious excitement waiting for the starting signal, and later working through the physical aches were all new experiences. But my biggest learning wasn’t physical, it was mental.

As I completed mile after mile, I thought about leaders who are contemplating change in their organization. How do they motivate their teams to reach a goal that for some seems impossible, unnecessary, or uninteresting? My 10 leadership lessons from a half marathon may be insightful for them. (more…)