A LEADERSHIP PLAYBOOK FOR AN UNCERTAIN WORLD
This is an excerpt from Bobbie LaPorte’s new book, When the Curveballs Keep Coming: A Leadership Playbook for an Uncertain World, where she provides insight into the ripple effects of leading through uncertainty and explains how you can adopt a possibilities mindset to always find ‘the next win’ for you and your team.
By Bobbie LaPorte
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
It was a grey day off the coast of Central California. I was about to wade
into the cold and dark lake on the first leg of my special triathlon training
weekend. I was assembled with my teammates, coaches, and extended
support team to complete our Half-Ironman distance race. This was a
critical milestone in my training. Here was where all my preparation and
sacrifices were supposed to come together to assess my readiness for a full
Ironman race. Make no mistake: this was a test.
I knew I had done the work and proved myself up until this point, but I
was still full of self-doubt, afraid I wouldn’t finish, that I would disappoint
not only myself but all the people who had supported me along the way. I
also knew that while the course was clearly laid out and I knew what the
physical challenges would be, there would be uncertainty and mental and
emotional challenges that I could not anticipate.
I stood at the edge of the lake, steeling myself to jump in and begin
the 1.2-mile swim. The swim leg of a triathlon has always been my weakness,
my personal nemesis. I am not a good swimmer; I struggle in open
water and nearly always end up one of the last athletes out of the water—
exhausted and dreading the next leg of the race.
