During May, I had the opportunity to spend some time with my younger daughter at a national cheerleading competition in Orlando. Besides it being wonderful to watch her perform at such a great tournament, I also had some time to visit a few of the amazing parks in Disney World.
I happen to love amusement parks (I’m a big roller coaster fan), and as we were waiting on a few of the lines for some of the rides in both the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, it got me thinking a bit about how amusement parks can teach us a lot about leadership. Here are four lessons I took from my time in the “most magical place on Earth.”
There’s weight in the wait
If there is one thing that is a given at Disney parks, it’s that you can expect to wait in order to ride. We knew that the parks would be fairly busy with the competition going on, so we were prepared to stand in line. Happily, the weather was great, and my daughter and I had a wonderful opportunity to catch up, be silly and, in all honesty, recognize the value that being bored can provide.
It isn’t necessarily that waiting is fun in the traditional sense. Instead, the act of waiting primes us for reaching a certain outcome. And that priming allows us to more readily deal with (and hopefully enjoy) the end result.
I’ve grown a lot in this area as I have progressed in my career. I used to really dislike waiting and had little patience for work that took a long time to come to fruition. Now I recognize that time can lead to more effective reflection, better decision-making, and a greater opportunity to include those around us. In short, there is significant value (or weight) in the act of waiting.
If you focus too much on what comes next, you’ll miss everything in front of you
My daughter is much less of an amusement park person than I am. She worries about the next turn or drop or unknown element that is coming up. There is nothing wrong with being prepared for anything. The flip side, as I explained to her as we were boarding a ride with a small but fast drop, is that if you are constantly focusing on what could happen, you miss what is happening in the present. Leaders have to live both for the moment and in the moment.
It can be hard to lead through that duality; however, it is a necessity. I like to plan ahead in my work, because I always want to be two or three steps ahead of any potential situation. As I’ve learned, though, when I lead like that too often, I miss all of the good (and sometimes even the bad) happening right in front of me.
Recently, I was so focused on an upcoming hiring happening over the next few months that it was harder for me to truly see some of our immediate staffing needs. Both, of course, are important; I just needed to be able to focus a bit more on the present and divert a bit away from the future. While there is a time and a place for being focused on the future, sometimes we also have to be able to lead in the moment.
Do things differently
We all love a routine. It makes life so much more predictable. We also know that deep learning comes from doing things differently or trying something we haven’t tried before. What if we go through life never changing anything? Well, we will learn a lot less!
Although my daughter is not a particularly enthusiastic thrill ride person, she really wanted to ride one of the roller coasters at the Magic Kingdom. Even though it was a slightly intense family ride versus a true thrill ride, she was really excited to push herself out of her comfort zone and give it a go.
She loved it. We laughed throughout the whole ride, and, when it was over, she said, “I am so glad we did that.” I smiled, of course, both because I was proud she took the risk and because trying new things is paramount to leading successfully.
I’ve experienced so many new elements in my work over this past year. I’m thankful that I am able to learn every day. And if I didn’t push myself into new situations, I would be much less capable of addressing the variety of situations that come my way.
Know when to call it quits
After a number of hours in the park, we were exhausted and ready to head back to the hotel. In life, even when we are having fun, we have to be willing to move on to other things when the situation requires it. It’s better to leave after having enjoyed, than to overstay and no longer be happy.
Much is the same in leadership. It’s better to delegate or walk away from something when we start to feel as if we may no longer be what the situation needs (or when we feel our ability to be helpful is waning). I’ve become better at this as I’ve become more experienced. Sometimes I know I need to walk away from a project or potential opportunity to be the best I can for future experiences.
Sometimes, we learn lessons when we aren’t having fun. Happily, I was reminded of these four while I was enjoying myself. Most importantly, I got to see my daughter experiencing these same lessons as well. On the flight back from the competition, I couldn’t help but smile that learning about leadership can also be a family affair.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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