Sometimes That’s How It Goes
All it takes is a little evolution.
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“How are you doing?”
I plop into the massage therapist’s consultation chair and stifle a yawn. Her question is loaded. In the last month I’ve only slept in my bed six times. I leave again in two days for another week.
“I’m exhausted,” I say.
It’s true. I’m worn out and still have two major trips remaining this summer. But I want to seem together and on top of my life so I add a follow up statement to soften the response.
“But sometimes that’s how it goes.”
I’ve been using this phrase a lot lately. Some seasons of life are busier than others. Right now I’m in the middle of the busiest one of the year.
Each summer I lead three to four week-long trips. During these trips I am working every waking moment keeping track of teenagers, constructing, teaching, and overseeing a team of adults. This year added another week-long trip for my sister-in-law’s wedding.
It’s a physically and mentally exhausting schedule. But, that’s just how it goes sometimes.
Except, that’s not how it needs to go.
Great Leaders Evolve
On the first trip of the summer I enjoy a rare two hours to myself on a flight to the Dominican Republic. While the kids fill out customs forms and eat peanuts, I zone out and catch up on David Letterman’s Netflix show.
Sitting across from Letterman is Howard Stern, the King of All Media. They’re discussing Stern’s transition from broadcast radio to satellite. Letterman asks why Stern changed the entire show when he moved to Sirius.
“Bad radio is when you don’t somehow change it up constantly,” Stern says.
“Yeah,” Letterman responds. “You wouldn’t be successful if you did the same kind of radio now as when you first came to New York.”
As Howard Stern points out, change is necessary. If things don’t change, they go bad and quickly lose all relevance. Great leaders must choose between creating “bad radio” or evolving into something different. Stern chose evolution.
