Posted on May 3rd, 2010
Recently, my yoga instructor opened class with this philosophical ditty: “When life throws you a curveball, try to find the wisdom and grace to look upward and say: ‘Nice pitch!’” Well, he got me with that one . . . I’ve shared it with friends, clients and colleagues repeatedly. Since then, I’ve been pre-occupied with thinking about how I react when life throws me curveballs. Usually, I get frustrated. Then, I get irritated. Suddenly, it looks as though there are more curveballs being thrown my way. Because─now I’m looking through a lens that filters everything so I see problems or challenges where I might not have otherwise. When a curveball heads my way, sometimes I throw my bat instead of simply accepting that, for the moment, I’ve been bested.
The wisdom and grace to say “nice pitch” would allow me to accept that I missed a pitch! So what? That doesn’t make me ineffective or incapable or incompetent. It makes me human. Joe DiMaggio had a lifetime batting average of .398, and he’s considered one of the greatest ball players in history. That’s a swell average! And, it means he missed some pitches too. While sports analogies aren’t exactly my forte, this one helps me point out that being great doesn’t mean being perfect. It means accepting that sometimes you swing and miss. Wisdom and grace allows us all to accept our humanity─our strengths, our weaknesses, and our potential.
As leaders, we have to keep in mind how our responses to curveballs provide a model for how our teams deal with their own misses. Here are some questions for reflection:
- Does your team see you throw the bat? Or, do they see you smile, step back, take a breath, and try again?
- How do you expect your team to deal with curveballs?
- Do you create an environment where it’s okay to swing and miss once in a while?
- How do you help your team learn to watch for curveballs so they are ready to respond appropriately?
- When someone “hits one out of the park” do you take a close look and find out why so you can ensure it happens again and again?
Batter up!
Lynae
