Leadership Reminder: Your attitude sets the tone!

I ran a Spartan race last weekend. When I booked it, the weather forecast was not great, but it was doable. Every day after clicking that commit button, the outlook worsened. The last forecast had the temps in the mid-40s and light rain starting around 9-10 a.m.

I made the call to toe the start line. The rain did hold off for the first 60-90 minutes of my race, but light turned into steady rain for the rest of the day. The temps dropped into the high-30s and the wind on the mountain was more than most were prepared for.

As a group of us headed back into the woods after an obstacle, I started to join in the grumbles about the mud and the state of the course — I’m not lying, it was treacherous and at times, every step was a choice to continue. But I stopped myself mid-complaint and remembered (out loud) my intention for the day was to keep my sense of humor. I switched my negativity and praised my fellow racers for the gift of movement that allowed us to even attempt this course on this day.

Their grumbles turned to jeers and laughter ultimately lightening all of our moods and resetting a bit of our confidence to persevere.

Attitude doesn’t eliminate difficulty. It determines whether people lean in or mentally check out.

Your example sets the limit of what your team believes is possible.

Choose it deliberately.