It is a family tradition in my home to watch a family movie together, and over the years we have come to absolutely love our movie nights. We start talking about the movies we could potentially watch a few days beforehand, and we set up everything early that afternoon. We get the kitchen and living room straightened up, have an early dinner, take the dog out, and get the snacks and drinks ready. We recently watched Godzilla versus Kong. While it’s not the most thought-provoking, emotionally-moving movie, it was entertaining and I enjoyed talking with the kids about the iconic symbols of those two creatures.
As you can imagine, the movie had all of the action and destruction that you would think of involving these two legendary characters:
fire-breathing, destruction, loud roars, smashing buildings, destroying cars, etc.
One of the things that stood out for me is that multiple times during the movies they showed the most famous images of each creature: Kong hanging off a skyscraper in a big city, and Godzilla breathing fire and destroying everything in his path. I remember these scenes from reading the comic books and watching the early films as a kid. I was always impressed with their strength, and seeing those images once again as an adult, reminded me of the concept of: Positions of Strength.
As I reflect on those images, I ask you, what are your positions of strength? How do you put yourself in positions where you can be successful? To me it’s not about power or authority, but putting yourself in the best positions to succeed. Ones where you feel good, and are in positions of strength for you.
Some things that work for me are:
* Being well rested.
* Getting to bed early.
* Making sure I drink plenty of fluids during the day.
* Being prepared. Making sure that I’ve sat down, cleared my mind, and have my schedule organized and that I am ready for the work I have in front of me.
* Planning for the future. I make sure I focus on the moment, but I like to look at the big picture and prepare for what’s ahead.
* Identifying the activities that cause me stress, minimize them, and making sure I work stress-relieving activities and exercise into my daily routine and my schedule for the week.
* Listening. I’ve tried to work on this in my leadership journey and always try to listen more than I speak.
As you continue in your leadership journey keep doing things that put you in positions of strength both mentally and physically. What are those things for you and how can you continue to be at your best when it matters most?
Hopefully you’re not hanging off buildings or breathing fire around you, but I urge you to do the things that put you in your best position of strength.
If I can help you in anyway don’t hesitate to reach out at @andrewmarotta21 on Twitter #SurviveThrive
Questions? Comments? Click here to contact me. (mailto:andrewmarottallc@gmail.com?subject=%23ELBlog)
Click here to leave a comment on the blog (https://andrewmarotta.com/elblog/)
#LeadershipSparks: I Challenge You To Beautify
Quote: “The single biggest way to impact an organization is to focus on leadership development. There is almost no limit to the potential of an organization that recruits good people, raises them up as leaders and continually develops them.”
-John Maxwell
