Can’t Say Enough about Flexing -- Five Ways to Become More Flexible

A client called to mind an image for me today when he commented on the superb flexibility of our team. Superheroes.

Superheroes have special powers that allow them to do extraordinary things, things that normal humans cannot do.

Elastagirl is uberflexible. She stretched herself from a normal human (ok a cartoon human) into a parachute to save the lives of her two children during an airplane crash in the movie, The Incredibles. She reached into another room to nab a bad guy and slipped through the doors of nearly-closed, highly-monitored elevator, completely unnoticed. A bit dramatic, but VERY effective. Elastagirl can physically stretch and flex to solve most any problem.

Sometimes seemingly ordinary people can do extraordinary things, and all they have to do is engage flexibility in their mind. When trainers can bob and weave and mold the training to fit the audience, the results are nothing less than amazing.

How can you be more flexible?

• Change the context. Take a walk, a break or a vacation
• Try something new. Eat a new food, learn a new language (or just a few words) or learn to dance.
• Be aware of thoughts and words. Listen to yourself, replace negative words and thoughts with positive ones. Post a list of the positive in obvious places.
• Be spontaneous. Every once in a while, break out of your routine, do something different, or do it in a different order.
• Kink the way you think. Try focusing your mind solely on the challenge at hand, and then think about it while you are doing something else, finally take a step back and assess.  

YOU can have super powers!

Do You Have a Championship Team?

by BJ Windhorst

As I watched the NBA Finals come to a close, I had to marvel at LeBron James and Dwayne Wade.  They are self-proclaimed leaders of the Miami Heat, leading their team to a second straight World Championship!
 At their level, the competition is nearly equal across the board. The players are evenly matched in physical ability and athletic potential  It got me to wondering what really makes the Heat a championship team?
 Let’s face it, the San Antonio Spurs with the great talent and leadership they possess, pushed the Heat to the brink.  Better talent is the easy answer for the why the Heat prevailed, but talent and ability can only take you so far.
 So what are the other key ingredients to dominating the field of professional basketball? After watching many games and interviews; and reading more than my share of articles about these two young, but already legendary leaders; three things stand out to me.  None of them are big surprises, but when effectively combined; they make these guys unstoppable.
 Commitment :  There is an unwaivering sense of commitment to the goals and vision of the organization -- winning championships. What comes along with that is  unselfishness, crystal clear focus on the task at hand, working hard each day to be even better. And then actually doing those things.
 Self – Evaluation:  LeBron James is, today, the greatest basketball player on the planet.  Dwayne Wade has a lock on a spot in the hall of fame, and is one of the top 50 players of all-time.
 But what I admire most about them both as leaders, is they readily admit they look in the mirror each day to identify their blind spots. Then, they work to eliminate them and get better at what they do.
 Do you think their always-room-for-improvement attitude rubs off on their teammates?  Do you think modeling this behavior brings their team even closer together and boosts their credibility? Do you think if you were a teammate theirs, you would want to give it your all?  You better believe it!
 Accountability:   There are a lot of people out there that love to hate LeBron.  This is comical to me, because there’s not a superstar in sports today that is more accountable to his teammates and the Miami Heat organization then LeBron James.  When things aren’t going well, we’ve heard him say over and over: “I have to be better”, “it’s on me”, “I have to get my teammates more involved for us to be successful”, “this is a team effort, and in order to win, we have to do it as a team”.
 Honestly, in any interview of any Heat player you will hear similar remarks. The level of accountability to the mission and task at hand is incredibly high, and it reflects their leader.  When you are accountable to something bigger than yourself, the sky is the limit!
 It’s been said,  “your people improve when your leaders improve”.  Great leaders make those around them better, by simply striving to improve in a few key areas each day.  Can we in the business world, learn a little something from LeBron, Dwayne, and the Miami Heat?
 I’m willing to bet on the fact that improvement in the three areas I mentioned, by any leader in any organization, will yield results that you have only dreamed about. Be committed, look in the mirror, and take responsibility!  Get to work building your championship team!