What might happen if you let each member of your team “hike your own hike“?
I’m not talking about letting them go in their own direction. Everyone has to aim for an aligned goal.
But let them leverage their unique strengths toward achieving that goal.
The phrase “hike your own hike” is one that you’ll hear among seasoned hikers.
It means that in a group, each person hikes with a pace and mindset that works for them.
But ultimately, everyone in the group has the same end goal, and a timeline for when they want to meet there. They’ve also agreed on how they’ll check in and support each other along the way.
This is a mentality I’ve learned to adopt in the past few years of hiking. I hike at a pretty quick clip. Some of my hiking companions take a slower pace, some faster.
We agree that if we want to hike together and talk, we’ll go at the speed of the slower hiker. If we want to go our own pace, we hike our own hike.
I’ve especially learned to embrace this with my husband. On uphills, he likes to take a slow and steady pace without stopping. I like to go faster with lots of breaks.
For years I’d either slow my pace to meet his or push him to hike more quickly — frustrating for both of us
Now we agree to hike our own hike. We both know where we’re going and when we want to finish the hike. We agree on how and when we’ll stop and wait and check in. We know when to offer support.
The result? We both get to where we’re going, and we each get much more out of the experience without frustration.
So what if you allowed each member of your team to hike their own hike? If you let them set the pace and technique for their work towards the end goal?
It doesn’t mean that you leave them to the wolves. You as the leader need to ensure everyone:
- Aligns on the goal and the timeframe to get there.
- Knows the strengths and work preferences of others on the team, and how to leverage them
- Agrees when and how to check in and give each other support.
- Is clear on what might require you to step in and take control.
Sometimes they might work together. Sometimes they might work alone.
But if you’re all aligned on and committed to where you’re going and by when, you’ll achieve your goal. And you’ll achieve it with far less stress and far more ease.
So give it a try. On your next initiative, tell your team that you’re going to let them hike their own hike.
And watch the journey to the peak commence.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ธ? ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ?
PS – If you’re ready to lead a team that has the cohesion, trust, and elevated leadership capabilities required for sustainable growth, let’s talk about how The Compass Team Experience can make that happen.
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