A colleague recently shared this phrase with me from the book The Dichotomy of Leadership (from the authors of Extreme Ownership). [I’ve read the latter of these two, but have yet to delve into Dichotomy.]
If you’re not familiar with either of these titles, essentially they are war-story leadership principles from two former Navy SEALS.
It wasn’t surprising, then, for me to hear this phrase from these authors.
But now I can’t unhear it!!
Honestly, I’ve been faced with a few different situations since my friend read me those few lines from the book, and that simple phrase has shaped my action each time.
For example, I had a coaching opportunity present itself that I knew would be both beneficial to my own growth but also a stretch on my time.
Default: AGGRESSIVE!
I took the opportunity.
Again, I created a group coaching course/package through my own Cardinal brand that I knew I was a bit early on in terms of delivering to my “in-development” audience or platform. Conventional wisdom told me to wait. Don’t push “publish” or “send”. Rather, sit tight and build the platform, then launch this opportunity later.
Default: AGGRESSIVE!
I pushed “publish” and “send”.
How will either of the opportunities I’ve mentioned work out? I don’t know. I may discover that I stretched too far and published too soon. But either way, I’m leaning into learning.
What about you? Where can you check your default settings and maybe switch something from “off” or “idle” to aggressive? What might happen? What might you learn??
