The New Crop: Issue #91
"how you prepare is how you perform" + "the paradox of leadership"
What’s in this issue:
💭 Thought: “How you prepare is how you perform.”
📚 Read: The Paradox of Leadership
😆 Today’s Laugh
One of the winning photographs from this year’s Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards:
Source: Sarthak Ranganad/Nikon Comedy Wildlife
Speaking about the photograph he took, Sartak Ranganad said:
Our parents always find a way to embarrass us, I guess that's also true in the case of spotted owlets.
💭 Today’s Thought
So often we launch right into our work week without mentally preparing ourselves for what’s coming.
After weeks, months, and years of doing this it can feel like you’re not in the driver’s seat of your own life. Like meetings and events and situations are happening to you, not by you or through you.
Marcus Freeman, Head Football Coach at the University of Notre Dame, tells his team this:
How you prepare is how you perform.
How do you prepare for your week? What’s the impact on how you perform?
Here’s a strategy that has helped me immensely over the past few years…
Spend 10 minutes on a Thursday or Friday morning looking over your calendar for the next week.
That’s it.
Doing this on a Thursday or Friday morning gives you time to tie up any loose ends before the weekend.
If you’d like to take this a step further, here are some of the prompts I ponder when looking over my calendar:
What do you need to do right now to prepare for what’s coming up next week?
What is next week going to require of you? (ex: patience, stamina, etc.)
What are you most excited about for next week?
What worries or fears do you carry about next week, and what do you need to know or do to alleviate those worries?
When are you going to have the most focus/deep work time, and what would you like to prioritize then?
What meetings can you decline, or don’t need to happen in the first place?
Ten minutes of preparation for the next week — and getting in the habit of looking ahead — can help restore a sense of choice and intentionality to your days and weeks.
📚 Today’s Read
At its core, leadership is about the ability to leverage paradox. There are five polarities that are critical to effective leadership.
- Darren Gold
Click here to read the five polarities. Where do you encounter them, and how can you get the benefits of both alternatives?
See you next week!
xo,
Anne