This week I’m dealing with my father transitioning to an assisted living facility after 10+ years of enduring the aftermath of lymphoma, heart disease, and stroke. We humorously refer to him as the “triple threat.”
Like Frankin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), my father is now mostly confined to a wheelchair. His metaphorical physical wings got clipped some time ago. But not his spiritual wings. Those continue to help him soar.
I invoke my father and FDR in the post because each demonstrates the finest qualities of leaders in the face of significant physical limitation. In the case of FDR, the onset of his paralysis in 1921 did not deter him from achieving the Governorship of New York State in 1929, and the Presidency of the United States in 1932 (an office he held for four terms until his death in 1945). In the case of my father, his illnesses did not deter him from teaching and publishing into his 70’s while maintaining ongoing relationships with former students and colleagues into his 80’s. As he approaches the sunset of his life, I never cease to value his patience, peacefulness, and affability in the face of significant pain and discomfort.
What leadership lessons can we learn from these men? Here are a five:
- Determination and perseverance count.
- Giving up that “something’s wrong” is a pathway to peace.
- Accepting (vs. rejecting) our limitations creates power.
- Adapting ourselves to conditions beyond our control demonstrates wisdom.
- Being courageous by facing our fears and acting in spite of those fears inspires others.
Many of us who are on “the return journey” (a.k.a the 40+ crowd) may be perfectly healthy and fit. Others may be facing some physical limitation or slowing down of the body (and mind). In my case, I can share that I do not have the energy that I once did in my 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. As a result, I’ve had to adapt so I can still have an impact as a leader. While I still exercise regularly, I also make sure that I get sufficient rest. I’m more careful about my diet. And, I meditate to nourish my spirit and keep my mind focused on what’s essential.
While these tweaks in diet, exercise, and rest can help as we age, it is important that we devote our limited resources (time, energy, money) to work that is in our zone of genius as opposed to our zone of excellence. Many of us develop expansive zones of excellence over the years where we can accomplish remarkable results across a wide range of activities. Be careful. Some of those activities may not be in the zone of genius. Making the distinction between our zones of excellence and genius can help us have an extraordinary impact on the world, especially as we mature. For me, my zone of genius lies in the realm of relationship. My 1:1 coaching work with nonprofit leaders is in this zone. Also, helping nonprofit executives incorporate coaching skills into their management repertoire through online courses and live workshops is in this zone.
If you’re unclear about your own zones of excellence and genius then taking an assessment like the HBDI (http://www.herrmannsolutions.com/) can help. Also, being mindful of work that seems effortless (even when you are applying effort) can be a sign that you’re in your zone of genius.
I’m grateful to my father for demonstrating what’s possible as we enter into the sunset of our lives. I’m also grateful to Jim Dethmer, Kaley Klemp, and Diana Chapman for creating the “zones” distinction in their excellent book The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership. The book inspired me to co-create a tribe of conscious leaders from the nonprofit and corporate sectors that meet by video every 4-6 weeks to support each other in their leadership journies and apply the principles outlined in the book. Contact me at 415-273-9890 or David@Fundraisingleadership.org if you want to learn more about this tribe.