Last Wednesday, like most Wednesdays, I was at the gym bright and early. I enjoy my early morning workouts and I am proud of what I have achieved from all my hard and consistent work.
But last Wednesday was a little different. That morning, a bunch of kids started trickling in as I was nearing my final reps. From their chatter, I understood that they were high school baseball players and they were buzzing about team tryouts coming up at the end of the month.
Pretty soon the group burgeoned into may 30 boys, yapping and laughing as they waited for their trainer to get them started. At one point, the group was innocently blocking my access to the equipment, so I respectfully asked them to let me by. They politely moved ad let me through.
It was a tough workout, and I was hitting the most challenging part. The dreaded 75-pound sled stacked with another 160-pounds of weights. It was a beast. Then I moved on to the super challenging battle ropes. And now I realized all those teens were watching my every move. I was mortified. But I stayed focused and kept at it.
Let me be frank, a part of me really wanted to prove myself to these young athletes. I didn’t want to fail or underperform in front of them. Yes, I was old enough to be their mother; but I tackled those ropes with everything I had left in my reserves.
That is when it happened. I couldn’t help but notice those boys’ mouths drop as I heard their positive murmurs. And what started out as self-consciousness on my part turned into pride. I was smiling on the inside.
My trainer later told me he saw how impressed those young athletes were of my performance and strength. I am not sure that is entirely true, but I do think that I surprised a few of those boys.
This is not really a gym story though. This is a story about leading by example, even when you are a sweaty mess, tackling a huge obstacle, and not feeling much like a leader in the moment.
It is a story about the importance of hard work, discipline, and leadership, regardless of whether it is on a baseball field, in the c-suite, or anywhere within our daily lives. As business leaders, we have so many important behaviors to teach and to model. We set the bar for excellence, even when we aren’t sure we have an audience.
This story would be different and far less compelling (at least to me) had I simply attempted to explain to those teens the value of hard work. It certainly wouldn’t have been as impactful. As business leaders, walking the walk is far more powerful than simply talking the talk. Influential leadership in the workplace or even in the gym is about setting the tone for greatness.
I’d like to think I did that. I think I did.
