Working those legs?

It’s OK with leg work! We know action must be taken, there are things to do leading and running a business. It’s not going to happen legs up, observing from the couch.

Yet, the most efficient kind of leg work is when it’s a steady, applied effort. No frenzy. No crazy sprints with exhaustion as a result.

Let me invite you to my local creek to give an example. Welcome on stage: a couple of grebes (a diving kind of bird – similar to lappedykker in Danish, I guess). Their intricate teamwork reminded me of how smoothly a business can be run.

Part one: the male is off scouting out front, gone for a bit, coming back to check in, then staying for a bit while they together continue diving. The play continues: away he goes again, gliding off. Scouting for the next attractive feeding ground – back to bring the team along, together let’s go to the next spot and do some diving! No dramatic end to this play, just continued good teamwork.

This in itself was inspiring. Reminding me of hunters and farmers. Working the current field while scouting for the next opportunity. But what really got me this time, was the immaculate leg work!

The water was clear that day. Allowing me to follow the classic metaphor used about ducks and swans: gliding along effortlessly, on the surface looking cool and collected, while the legs are going like crazy underneath! We often use this analogy when we’re desperately paddling making it look as if everything is OK – but it’s not.

That is not what I was observing here. I was seeing smooth leg work. Coordinated, aligned activity beneath and above.

The grebes were not hiding a frenzy. They were not panicking, hiding the state of things. No, they were steadily paddling along, on the surface gliding and moving forward – and underneath beautiful, steady leg work.

It’s OK with leg work! We know action must be taken, we know there are things to do leading and running a business. We know we can’t just sit legs up and observe. But let’s make sure it’s steady, applied effort. No frenzy. No sprints with exhaustion as a result.

It’s not just OK with leg work. It’s necessary. Enjoy!