I'd love to tell you a story about two woodcutters named Laurie and Sam.
Laurie and Sam had worked for Wood Are Us for many years and were the company's top performers, consistently meeting the company target of 15 trees per day.
One week, the boss scheduled them onto the same tree-felling team. Having never worked side-by-side before, Laurie the more competitive of the two, was curious to observe Sam's wood cutting style.
On the first day, Laurie noticed Sam had felled 15 trees by 3pm and left for the day. It was another two hours before Laurie had reached the target and was able to depart for home. 'Okay', decided Laurie 'Clearly I am not working quickly enough. Tomorrow I will work faster and also be finished by 3pm'. But, alas, Laurie was not. Sam's performance, however, remained consistent - felling 15 trees and leaving at 3pm.
Over the next few days Sam continued to complete the required amount of work and leave by 3pm. Laurie vowed each day to work harder and faster but, drained of energy, became slower and the hours spent cutting wood in the forest grew longer.
On Friday, the final day of the week, Sam was even quicker - felling 15 trees by lunchtime. As Sam prepared to leave for the weekend Laurie, exhausted and frustrated, could take it no more. 'Sam', Laurie cried out 'All week I've watched you fell the same amount of trees as me, but in less time. I've tried to match your pace but I'm only getting slower. How are you doing it? What is your secret?'
'Well, Laurie' replied Sam, 'When I leave at 3pm, I go home and sharpen my axe. When was the last time you sharpened yours?'
If you would like to sharpen your axe, collapse time, master your craft, create your vision, with me as your coach, there as some opportunities open right now.
I am having an absolute ball delivering the 2022 LEAD online course, and the feedback flowing into my inbox has been amazing! We've added 8 * NEW * modules from 2021 to ensure the course remains current and contemporary. CLICK HERE for more info.
We have two masterminds currently open - The Leadership Lounge and The Salon. CLICK HERE for a conversation with Janelle.