The Leaders Playbook: Take a Lap

Years ago I read a biography about Apple Founder Steve Jobs. There were a lot of lessons in this book – some good, some not so good.

One of the best lessons was how often Jobs did his thinking while outside on a walk.  It seemed to be a daily practice of his.

After reading the Jobs biography while at one of our start ups, my teammates and I adopted this approach.  Daily we would “take a lap” around our airplane hangars. We got an incredible amount of work done and each lap helped provide clarity and focus on the essential.  It also helped to get away from the turbulence inside our offices and find some stillness and quiet to think.

I’ve since used it in every job and it is a fantastic way to meet new teammates or solve tough problems.  A bonus is hitting your step goal each day.

Get out today and “take a lap”. It will be worth it. I hope you get out

The Author is currently serving as an active-duty military officer. Any comments or recommendations on this post or on this site are solely and expressly my personal views and do not represent the position of any branch of the United States Government, the Department of Defense, or the Department of the Air Force.

The Leaders Playbook: Daily focus

Early in the morning, before the day gets started, I take a few minutes in the stillness to clearly determine what is essential for the coming day and what I must focus on.  This has been a game changer for me for many years.

I write it out on a 3×5 card and then focus my daily work around the essential. At the end of the day before I shut down I debrief where I spent my time. This daily practice has taught me to say “no” a lot more than I did before.

Stay focused and never forget that time is the only commodity that we never get back.

The Author is currently serving as an active-duty military officer. Any comments or recommendations on this post or on this site are solely and expressly my personal views and do not represent the position of any branch of the United States Government, the Department of Defense, or the Department of the Air Force.