Lessons Learned from a Crash and Burn

Sometimes I delve into something semi-personal here, because darn it, I’ve done enough stuff the wrong way to provide object lessons from here until the end of time. :-) Today I just can’t get my latest running event out of my head. Last month I toed the starting line of the Run for Kids 50k with every intention of finishing the race. However, things just didn’t go according to plan. My two biggest lessons learned:

I didn’t plan well enough. I thought I had my bases covered, but I skipped some important steps in the days leading up to the race that ended up catching up to me.
I didn’t speak up soon enough. My two running partners didn’t know how bad I felt until I told them, and by then the damage was already done.

I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that both of those lessons impact our work on a daily basis as well. Not planning well and/or skipping important steps will lead to disaster more often than not. Also, it’s important to make sure your expectations are communicated well. As an employee, your manager needs to know what you want. As a manager, your employees need to know what you want.

(This video is totally unrelated to the post but I couldn’t resist posting it!)

I can’t promise that notÂ doing those things will lead to you laying stretched out in the backseat of a car with a monster headache, waves of nausea, and cramping legs, but you really never know… Click here for more of my running adventures.