Frederick Buskey
  • Resources
    • The Assistant Principal Podcast >
      • Frederick's Featured Podcasts
    • Daily Emails
    • Free Resources
  • reclaiming purpose
  • Support and Services
    • Testimonials
    • Strategic Leader Academy >
      • Building Classroom Culture
    • Coaching
    • Speaking
Picture
Subscribe here!

Is it really harder to hike downhill than uphill?

3/13/2023

0 Comments

 
Colleagues,
 
MVP: Assume that things will not go as planned.
 
Pam and I spent most of last week backpacking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park here in Western North Carolina (WNC). On Tuesday we made a 3,000 foot, five-mile ascent to Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in the park and on the Appalachian Trail.
 
It was a challenging but glorious hike. Our campsite was still eight miles away, but it was a steady downhill trail that we thought would be easy based on the map.
 
You already know where this is going. 
 
About a mile of the trail was under water and we hopped from stone to stone, trying to keep our feet dry.
 
For another couple of miles, the trail was barely a foot wide and roots and rocks hid under a bed of dry fall leaves.
 
It was a grueling hike, both physically and mentally. It was made worse by the fact that we hadn’t accounted for the difficulty of the trail and that is where the leadership lesson is.
 
Like implementation plans, maps can be deceiving. Just because things look like they should be easy doesn’t mean they will be.
 
In any change initiative, count on things going wrong because they probably will.
 
And when they do, you will need to slow down.
 
Today’s intention: Think about the big plans you had in the fall and where things are now. What surprises did you encounter? If there have been challenges, have you been able to adjust and adapt, or have you just slogged on?

Cheers!

Frederick
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Want my blog delivered to your in box? Sign up here!

    Categories

    All
    5 Minute Coaching
    Acting With Intention
    Leading From Home
    Leverage
    Problems And Symptoms
    Problem Solving
    Serving Others
    Strategic Leader
    The Three Epiphanies

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Resources
    • The Assistant Principal Podcast >
      • Frederick's Featured Podcasts
    • Daily Emails
    • Free Resources
  • reclaiming purpose
  • Support and Services
    • Testimonials
    • Strategic Leader Academy >
      • Building Classroom Culture
    • Coaching
    • Speaking