Take a load off!

Colleagues,

MVP: Think about what can reduce some weight


Our biggest fear for our upcoming trip is overuse injuries. We know we can hike 16 miles in a day, but doing it for 18 straight days is going to challenge our joints. We have put some decades onto these bodies, and they aren’t as resilient as they used to be.


Foot, toe, knee, and hip issues could each become debilitating.


Beyond listening to our bodies, the most important thing to do is carry less weight. I shared ​previously​ how every pound in a pack generates eight pounds of force on the knee, so at 2,000 steps per mile, that translates into 7 tons of extra pressure on the lower extremities per mile! And we are going 270 miles!


Cutting weight not only decreases the risk of injury, but it also reduces fatigue, allowing us to walk longer, faster, and more enjoyably.


Unfortunately, we often take the opposite approach in our organizations.


We add jobs, add requirements, add meetings, add change initiatives, add, add, add.


And yet, we rarely take things out.


I remember the year before I left Clemson University, having this realization – I loved 90% of what I did, but I was having no fun! There was just too much to do.

Today’s intention: If you lead people, what can you do to lighten their packs?

Cheers!

Frederick