Share Your Own Experience for a chance to give $25 to your favorite non-profit.
The other day, I went through old pictures….like, all my old pictures. As I reviewed all stages of my past in stunning 4×6 glossy goodness, a clear parallel with leadership development emerged. Most notably – Birkenstocks + baggy jeans + bandana is a timeless ensemble that’s perfect for any occasion. Ok…not so much. Thank goodness I cleared that phase before meeting my wife, not after.
Seriously, I started the evening with boxes full of pictures. Some of them were great, some were just bad quality, and others should never see the light of day again to protect all parties involved. When I was done, I’d trashed about 2/3 of the pictures with very little regret. Here’s why:
You don’t need every 45 similar pictures of the same event. You just need a couple of really good ones that capture the essence of the memory. Similarly, when you overcome an obstacle or reach some major accomplishment in life, you don’t need to remember or hang on to every single detail. You need to remember the emotions that accompanied the event and key details that support them.
Example – Let’s say you took on a big project with a lot of moving pieces. A couple of years from now, you don’t need to remember that Chuck in Accounting thought the idea was crap and that Chuck is grumpy about most ideas. You might just need to remember how you ultimately got a non-supportive teammate bought-in. In other words, you’re free to let go of Chuck and the reasons he might be mad at the world.
Better example – Let’s say you had an epic failure (like we all do sometimes). Like, you really stepped in it, and things did not go as planned at all. It’s easy to hang on to the guilt, and to replay the scene over and over, reinforcing your guilt in a never-ending cycle. Stop doing that. Remember what may have led to it, how it felt, and and what you learned. Specifically, remember how you grew out of it. Then move on…any more detail than that isn’t worth it.
As you grow and learn more about yourself as a leader, remember to hang on to the right details and to let the rest go. Carry the lessons with you and enough pieces to fortify the memory. The rest isn’t worth the brainspace.
