Mastering Leadership: Addressing Rushing as a Symptom
Last week I introduced one of the core skills that I teach for leaders or for those interested in mastering their health. Your 5 Symptoms practice allows you to practice being curious about what comes before breakdowns in your team, or that weekly Friday headache. The power of this practice is shifting from reactivity to observing more subtle sensations or the cascade of symptoms that lead to the breakdown.
What does this look like?
I received a call from someone who wants to come in for acupuncture. He has hurt his ankle. He wants the ankle to heal, and so do I, but not in the way he’s likely thinking. He describes missing the sidewalk curb while rushing to his Uber.
Me: Your ankle, it’s a symptom. The thing that had you distracted and you missed the curb, that’s the real issue. Do you want to explore that with me, because that's the work I'm actually doing now..
Him: Hm, interesting. You’re not going to sum it up to look where you’re going next time?
Me: LOL I’ll help you see if there are other areas where you might not be present, that’s costing you - as in money, time or affinity in your relationships or all of those. Those might be the other metaphorical curbs you’re running into (or falling off of).
He’s curious and game for a conversation for curiosity.
Let me sum up our conversation. I asked him to map out what preceded his fall. Then I asked another time more recently when he was upset, as in tense or not relaxed, what preceded the upset? As we went through each of these scenarios, some type of rushing was involved, either physical movement, or barely reading an email (skimming) or talking fast, both of which lead to a misinterpretation leading to a client not rehiring him which was a huge financial hit.
I also taught him slow is smooth and smooth is quick as the antidote to rushing.
All rushing produces is accidents (more rushing) and miscommunications (value $25K and likely more with the unaccounted future value of this relationship). I said for 10% of what you lost in income, I can teach you all 12 skills so you don’t lose any more clients or affinity in this context. We’re going to practice intentional micro habits to have you show up, present, handling all the things you need to get done in a day.
My work is guiding people how to listen and shift their lives based on highly effective, sensory work. And, it applies beyond your health. Your well-being is reflected in your work, the business, your team, your family - these are all various cultures you are part of and bring yourself to. What’s going on in your life is reverberating out into these seemingly different spheres.
Design your life, intentionally. Let me teach you how to use your body as a guide to make capable and creative decisions for your team and your life. Join me for a Conversation for Curiosity here.