How learning a new sport can make you a better leader

“In the mind of an expert, the possibilities are few. In the mind of a beginner, the possibilities are many.”

Learning a new sport can help you regain and embrace your beginner’s mindset. Then, with just a little bit of effort, you can translate that energy, enthusiasm, and desire to learn back to the sports you are already experienced in and improve your performance there. A similar approach holds true in the leadership realm — regaining and embracing your beginner’s mindset will help you to be a better manager and leader. Remember how hard you worked and studied upon earning your first leadership role? Time to regain that beginner’s mindset and continue your growth as a leader.

A crazy idea

This epiphany came for me soon after deciding to enter an “Escape from Alcatraz” swim/run duathalon. Upon hearing of this decision, my wife asked two poignant questions, “Have you ever swam in the ocean before?” and “Have you ever swam in any kind of race before?” Hmm…what have I gotten myself into?

I’m a runner at heart and have always been around the water in some capacity…bobbing around the waves while at the ocean or lolly-gagging it out to the dock and back at the lake. Okay, then…time to figure out how to swim 1.4 miles in very cold water with hundreds of other people around me. Where to start?

In, “Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing In The New Game Of Work”, Liz Wiseman writes about the benefits of changing your mindset and shifting from the certainty of leadership to the uncertainty of learnership. A few of the key points she makes are simple:

• Shift from leader to learner
• Step into your discomfort zone
• Take small steps to make progress
• Seek out experts and feedback

Jumping in

With Liz’s ideas in mind, I headed to Sports Basement and got a wetsuit, goggles and some basic tips from a great salesperson there. 30 minutes in the water at Aquatic Park the next day highlighted that while I was physically able to swim, coaching would significantly improve my form and overall performance in the water. A friend and former Stanford swimmer taught me about head position, body position, how to move my arms…things that seem so simple but actually require coaching and practice to execute properly and benefit from. I also actively solicited advice from triathletes and others experienced in not just swimming, but transitioning from one component of a race to another.

Meanwhile, I’ve still been putting in the weekly miles and keep up with the running. This is where the regaining and embracing my beginner’s mindset has really started to pay off.

I spent the last month thinking a lot of body position while swimming; hey, that’s important in running, too. Same with breathing. Same with something even as simple as prepping to head out for a run/swim and how to put myself in the position to have a great workout. Suddenly, I found myself reenergized about running after working to improve my swimming. I’ve done more than just learn to swim, I’m turning into a better runner, too…

Connecting the dots

You can apply this same approach — regain and embrace your beginners mindset, then translate that energy, enthusiasm, and desire to learn back to the areas you are already experienced in — to your role as a leader. Much like taking some basic concepts from learning a new sport and applying them to one you have you been doing for years, you can become a better leader by embracing this beginner’s mindset and rethinking how you approach things you have been doing for years.

When was the last time you really thought about how you prepare for, run, and follow up after leading a meeting? Many of us often ‘wing it’ and don’t lead as effective meetings as we could. Taking a few minutes to revisit some simple concepts around leading meetings can pay huge dividends for you and your team.

Is the feedback you give as effective as it needs to be and are you running productive one-on-ones? You probably thought a lot about the first time you gave feedback as a new manager and prepared diligently for that conversation. Are you as diligent now and might some ‘refresher’ training help both you and the employee?

These are just two examples of how taking a beginner’s mindset can help you improve in areas you may already be good at, but can still benefit from via some simple coaching and continuous learning.

The concept of a beginner’s mindset is everywhere around us. Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, employs a similar approach with his “Day 1 mindset”. He concludes every annual letter to shareholders by reminding readers, as he did in his first annual letter in 1997, that “it’s still Day 1” of the Internet and of Amazon.com: “Though we are optimistic, we must remain vigilant and maintain a sense of urgency.” In other words, Amazon is never finished: it’s always Day 1. Take the “Day 1” mindset you’ll use in learning a new sport and carry that over to your professional endeavors — regaining and embracing your beginner’s mindset will help you in more ways than one.