How Peloton taught me to outrun zombies and other leadership advice

Even though he has all the traits of a pandemic pup, I’ve had Lancaster since 2014. My husband and I did take part in the pandemic trend of buying a Peloton. We continue to use it multiple times of the week; speaking about instructors as if they are close friends. On Saturdays, I do a long workout and stack up three 30-minute classes. While cycling to Cody Rigsby, he was comparing himself to Matt Wilpers. According to Cody, he has a better chance of escaping zombies when / if they arrive as he is a sprinter. While, Matt, Cody’s logic goes, would be caught as he focuses on endurance and would not have that burst of speed when facing off with a zombie. That got me thinking. As I do multiple classes instead of one long power zone class, maybe I will be able to outrun the zombies too. Positive thoughts all around.

I realized I also do better with shorter meetings interspersed with focus time; the change of tasks helps to keep me engaged. I actually enjoy switching between tasks frequently. This in comparison to colleagues who will block out an entire day for focus time on a single activity. That’s never been me. I remember my college roommate would go to the library all day to study biology. I studied too, but I would toggle between topics with exercise or breaks interspersed. The change resets my mental timer and allows me to focus again - and (I hope) to speed past zombies.

I bring this up as it’s that time of year when everyone starts to lose focus. We’re burnt out. We’d rather be watching holiday movies such as Love Actually or Die Hard. Instead end of year budget planning, priority setting for 2024, and the push to hit 2023 goals is in full swing. Before recommending or requiring the approach that works best for you, provide freedom of choice to your team to achieve the tasks that must be completed by year end. Trust them to determine the method that aligns best to their way of working.

What is the role of leaders in your company?

If you’ve been reading my newsletter or following my course People-First Product Leadership, you know I am a fan of empowered teams. I believe the role of senior leaders is not making all the decisions but creating conditions in which good decisions get made, implemented, and iterated upon at all levels.

If you, or leaders across your company, are scrambling to define every last detail before year end, reassess the situation. Is there a lack of trust? If so, why? Do people in the organization have the opportunity to make decisions and take action or at least contribute to the process? If no, why not? Are there legacy ways of working which relied on comprehensive up front analysis or external experts instead of two-way door decision making?

You may not be able to change all parts of the organization, but you can have an impact on your own. Consider the talents of each person; hone in on the one where they shine. That’s their strength. Then consider what gives each person that fire to do and be more. That’s their X-Factor. I might be good at managing a complex launch, but it depletes my energy. When I’m coaching a member of my team through the creation of an important update, I gain energy - that’s my X-Factor.

According to coach Dave Kashen the X-Factor is “a unique set of skills where you should spend 80% of your time because they are a combination of natural talents where you excel and MOST importantly, where you derive energy.” I prefer the word “superpower” as X Factor was a constantly running reality show while I lived in the London.

How do you figure out your superpower? Talk to people. Your friends and colleagues (past and present) have seen you in all your various states. Go through performance review feedback and recommendations on LinkedIn. Read the messages people have written you over the years. You’ll likely find a theme - something that keeps being referenced again and again. That’s your superpower.

I went through these steps when I was in the Maven accelerator a year ago. All the factors led to my being skilled and energized by helping and coaching others to be and do more. I believed in their talent and skills. I trusted them and created a safe space for learning and mistakes to happen.

When you go through end of year reviews with your team, take a step back. Help them determine their strengths and their superpower. Doing so will provide that extra burst of energy needed to wrap up the year and call 2023 a win.

Must you always have a growth mindset?

I was listening to Barry’s O’Reilly’s podcast with Drewe Broughton. Drewe used to play football (soccer) in the UK. He was at the top of his game from a performance perspective. He worked hard and his endurance was top notch. Yet he had inner demons which caused him to question his every move. Over time, the demons won. He then built himself back up again. Now he coaches executives and athletes to unlock their potential.

Simply by the nature of their roles, leaders have a lot of pressure. There is a constant influx of tasks and asks, coming from both internal and external sources. In some cases, leaders rise above the noise and enable their team to contribute as well. The buzzing of requests dims. Not all leaders act this way. There are leaders who believe they must make all the decisions (remember the section above). In these cases, the noise often wins and they snap. Some yell and then are shocked when people don’t want to engage. Some sap the energy of their team with demotivating words in Slack. And, some simply fail to acknowledge their team can help. Nothing good happens, especially when leaders fail to recognize how their emotions are manifesting themselves.

All the segments in the podcast are powerful. What I listened to on repeat was right at the end. Drewe focuses on the importance of being true to who you are - asking and answering “Who am I?”.

I circled back to the importance of having a growth mindset. Drewe pointed out it’s ok to ask for help. I love learning, but there are some things I simply don’t grasp on the first, second, third, etc. attempt. I don’t want to let the “fear” win. I also don’t want all of my strength to be sapped and my superpowers to be left uncharged. That's the time to ask for help and admit that some things require more time, effort, and/or energy than you can or need to commit to, even with a growth mindset.

How can you help your team to acknowledge and tackle their fears? One way is to encourage a growth mindset while appreciating no one is a natural at everything. Nurture their strengths and the areas they want to develop to get to the next level. Determine ways they can collaborate to build upon each other’s abilities.

How do you figure out their strengths? Have each member of your team create a ReadMe (also known as a “user manual”).  The ReadMe puts needs, behaviors, and personalities out in the open.  A ReadMe makes what is usually implicit and unknown, explicit and known. Creating a ReadMe is a great opportunity for self-reflection. The topics I recommend each person include about themselves are the following:

• Preferred work style

• What I value

• How to best communicate with me

• What people misunderstand about me

• What I don’t have patience for

• How to help me

I have done this exercise with my teams and in my People-First Product Leadership course as well. You often discover what makes each member of your team feel heard. Aga Bajer shares that in psychology, there's a term for this: "mattering." When one matters, they feel significant, valued, and purposeful. There are three characteristics:

1. Awareness: Being noticed by others. Like when colleagues recognize your contributions, enhancing your sense of mattering.

2. Importance: Feeling valued and appreciated. This can happen in groups or communities, through positive feedback or acknowledgment of achievements.

3. Dependence: Knowing others rely on you. It's feeling that your role and contributions are essential to the group's success.

Again thinking about how you want to energize your team (and yourself) to keep going through year end - and to be excited about 2024, use the ReadMe to unearth what makes each person feel that they matter.

Create an environment that empowers your team. Build on their strengths. Don’t put off decisions or feel that you have to make all the decisions yourself. Your team is there to help you - as you are with them.

To quote a phrase often used by the original Peloton cycling instructor Jenn Sherman and others, including Robin Arzon - "We go farther together".

Enjoy!