Readiness Is A Decision
Readiness is not a feeling, it is a decision. I really do believe this. What I mean is that being prepared or ready for something isn’t just about how you feel internally, it is about consciously choosing to prepare yourself and take action. Or being okay with maybe not be fully ready. It emphasizes that readiness comes from deliberate choices and commitment, rather than waiting for a certain mood or emotional state.
As leaders, we can use the idea that readiness as a conscious choice and mindset to foster a culture of proactive preparedness within our teams. We need to model our own commitment to being ready by planning ahead, staying informed, and showing resilience. This sets a standard for others to follow.
We also need to set aside time for strategic thinking, skill development, and anticipating future challenges. This means promoting the idea that readiness is about continuous learning and effort. When we all view preparedness as an ongoing process, it inspires others to develop ownership over their readiness.
Leaders must also provide resources, training, and opportunities that make it easier for others to prepare and stay ready. It is important to recognize and reward proactive behaviors. We all must understand that being ready doesn’t mean having all answers but being adaptable and resilient when opportunities, new experiences, and surprises occur.
By framing readiness as a deliberate, intentional action rather than just a spontaneous feeling, we empower ourselves and those we influence to be more proactive, resilient, and ultimately more effective in navigating whatever challenges come our way.
Agency Before Ownership
Today, when working with educational leaders, I was reminded that we can’t feel ownership if we don’t have agency. I believe that in order to genuinely feel that something belongs to us or that we are responsible for it, we need to have the ability or power to make choices and act freely. This is what we call “agency.” Without agency, even if we possess or are associated with something, we will probably not truly feel a sense of control or personal connection to it. Having the ability to influence or decide is essential for developing a feeling of ownership.
Don’t Judge What You Don’t Know
The other day I heard a person tell someone “Don’t go judging what you don’t know.” The phrase was a reminder that we should avoid forming opinions or making judgments about someone or a situation without having enough information or understanding. It encourages humility and open-mindedness, reminding us that it’s unfair and often inaccurate to judge others based solely on assumptions or incomplete knowledge. Instead, it’s better to seek understanding and gather facts before arriving at any conclusions.
This also reminded me of something I say a lot: “Don’t guess. Ask.” Many times we guess when we need to ask. In fact I discuss a lot that we need to ask not guess. Many times providing the wrong things is worse than nothing at all because it proves you have not taken the time to get to know those you serve, or their needs. If we are serious about building relationships, ask, don’t assume.
Who Keeps You In Your Place?
I love the television medical drama series, House. The show ran from 2004 to 2012 and starred Hugh Laurie as the protagonist Dr. Gregory House. Dr. House was a genius diagnostician who led a team of doctors diagnosing some of the toughest case. I am on a bing of watching all the episodes. One bit of context for those who haven’t seen the show (which I recommend doing, by the way) is that Dr. House is brilliant but misanthropic diagnostician who solves complex medical cases with unorthodox methods and a sharp wit. Despite his abrasive demeanor and personal struggles, he is deeply committed to uncovering the truth to save his patients’ lives.
In one of the episodes I watched last week, Dr. Allison Cameron had quit due to a lot of different circumstances and Dr. House had stopped by apartment to attempt to get her to come back to work with House’s team. What Dr. House said was, I thought very profound. He said, “I need you around to keep me in my place.” Think about it; we all need someone like that in our lives. Some of us, me for example, more than others.
When Dr. House said to Dr. Cameron, “I need you around to keep me in my place,” he highlighted the valuable role that colleagues and friends can play in keeping us grounded. Despite his abrasive and often self-centered demeanor, Dr. House recognized that he benefited from the perspective, honesty, and sometimes gentle (or not so gentle) reminders from those who care about him. It underscored the idea that even the most brilliant and confident individuals need others to help maintain humility, provide balance, and prevent us from becoming too isolated or making reckless decisions.
It’s a reminder of the importance of teamwork, humility, and the human connections that help us stay true to ourselves while pursuing our goals. Who keeps you in your place? In fact, let’s think about thanking those people who do that for us. And are there others we should ask to help keep us in our place?
Who Will Carry On The Story?
There is a wonderful quote The Fellowship of the Ring from Bilbo talking to Frodo. “Don’t adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Someone else always has to carry on the story. Well, it can’t be helped.” This reveals a lot that we can take away about the nature of stories, adventures, and life itself. We can learn several meaningful lessons.
Just as Bilbo recognizes that adventures never truly end because new ones always begin, our lives are continuous stories filled with ongoing challenges, growth, and discovery. No matter how much we accomplish, there’s always more to explore and learn.
Bilbo’s acknowledgment that someone else has to carry on the story highlights the importance of accepting change and trusting that the next person will step up when it’s their turn. It reminds us that life is a collective story where each person plays a part.
The idea that the story continues suggested a sense of responsibility to pass on what we’ve learned, whether through our actions, values, or contributions, so that others can carry the torch forward. This makes me think about our legacy.
Recognizing that adventures and life’s journeys don’t have definitive ends encourages resilience. Even when one chapter closes, another begins, and we have the capacity to face new challenges with hope and courage.
Leading By Remaining Grounded
I love Bilbo Baggins’s poem known as the “Riddle of Strider”: “All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken: The crownless again shall be king.” This poem is in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. I posted about this poem back in January in Don’t Let the Lack of Glitter Fool You: Uncovering True Value Beyond the Shine. I am rereading The Fellowship of the Ring right now and when I came across the poem again the phrase, “Deep roots are not reached by the frost” really jumped out at me.
When Bilbo says, “Deep roots are not reached by the frost,” he’s using a metaphor to convey resilience and strength. The idea is that something with deep roots, like a sturdy tree, can withstand harsh conditions, such as frost or storms, because its foundation is strong and well-anchored.
The lesson suggested by Bilbo is that true strength and stability come from inner qualities, core values, or deeply-held beliefs. No matter how challenging external circumstances become, those with ‘deep roots’ can endure and remain grounded.
Leading With Purpose
In The Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo Baggins said, “I have called you all together for a Purpose” in his birthday speech. The narrator of the story went on to tell us, “Something in the way that he said this made an impression.” J. R. R. Tolkien’s making Bilbo’s mention of “Purpose” with a capital ‘P’ reflected a grand, almost cosmic significance. Tolkien was planting an overarching destiny or meaning that Bilbo perceived guiding his life and actions. Conversely, his personal idea of purpose as something diminutive suggested a more humble, intimate understanding of purpose.
From this contrast, we can learn that our sense of purpose can operate on different levels. The grand Purpose can inspire us with a sense of connection to something larger than ourselves, offering a sense of importance and direction. Meanwhile, the diminutive purpose reminds us that meaningfulness can also be found in everyday acts, personal growth, and small contributions. Both perspectives are valuable: embracing the grand Purpose can motivate us towards long-term visions, while appreciating the diminutive purpose keeps us grounded and present.
Reflecting on Bilbo’s perspective encourages us to find balance by honoring larger meanings without neglecting the small, personal purposes that give daily life its richness.
Our Real-Life Story
Fleming Rutledge, author of The Battle for Middle-earth: Tolkien’s Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings, discussed how in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings we find that J. R. R. Tolkien made them real-life stories. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are not happily-ever-after stories. They are real-life stories like we live out every day.
Rutledge explained that Tolkien’s stories, as with our lives are told and can be understood through both “surface narratives” and “deep narratives.” Surface narratives are the stories about our everyday lives. These are the stories abound our roles, routines, achievements, and experiences. Deep narratives, on the other hand, involve the underlying beliefs, values, and meanings that shape our identity and choices. They often relate to questions like “Who am I at my core?” “What is my purpose?” or “What do I value most?”
Our deep narratives are often shaped by our actions, choices, and experiences over time. The way we respond to life’s challenges, pursue our passions, and forge our relationships can reinforce or reshape the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and what gives our lives meaning. Just like the characters of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, our deeds and decisions act as the building blocks of our inner narratives, helping us create a sense of purpose and coherence that guides our journey.
Leading By Putting One Foot In Front Of The Other
During my rereading and study of The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, Book 1) by J. R. R. Tolkien I am also reading the great book by Fleming Rutledge, The Battle for Middle-earth: Tolkien’s Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings. Rutledge started with The Hobbit and then works through all the books. I love his work because he is breaking all of Tolkien’s work down and finding the subtleties the way my mind does when I read. He is a whole lot more scholarly about it than me!
This morning in my reading, Rutledge broke down the Greek word Hupomonē from the first chapter of Revelations in the Bible. Hupomonē can be translated to mean “perseverance,” “steadfastness,” “fortitude,” or “patience.” Rutledge asserted that, “It [Hupomonē] is not a glamorous virtue like courage or valor. It sends off no fireworks. Yet it is required of all who would fight the good fight, and there is no one, however lowly, who cannot serve in this way. Bilbo, the rather comical little peace-loving hobbit, is given two or three really heroic moments, but 98 percent of his journey “there and back again” is just putting one foot in front of the other, week after weary week” (p. 60). I spoke about “fortitude” in my new book Mere Leadership asserting that fortitude demands stepping outside of our comfort zone and challenging prevailing beliefs or perceptions. The Hobbit, through Bilbo, reminded us that we don’t get a lot of the big-time heroic moments that often make the news in life. We do, however, do important and significant work every day. Like Bilbo, we put one foot in front of the other.
Taking The Time
Last night I had a pleasant surprise. I had just got done doing the evening feeding and had sat down on the back porch to watch it rain. Just then my son pulled in the driveway and came over and sat down beside me. He reminded me how he and I used to sit and watch storms come in when he was little. This was a good evening to do this because clouds were moving in all directions and we could see the rain coming down in the distance. It was also really cool to hear the rain coming down on the corn before it got to where we were. There was also the unique smell of corn pollen in the air. All of that really isn’t the point of this post, although I guess it really is. The point is, my son and I sat there for a couple of hours watching the clouds, the rain, the cows coming out to graze and then running back in the barn during the intermittent downpours. It was glorious dad and lad time!
“Taking time to listen to a bird’s song on the breeze. Taking time to gather up the blossom dancing free. Taking time to imagine the deep sounds of the sea. Taking time to cherish you…and cherish me.” ~ Taking Time by Jo Loring-Fisher
The time last evening was time well spent. My son and I talked about lots of different things. It’s really interesting how things we did with our parents when we were young still stick with us. It gave me a warm feeling when my son said he also enjoyed being with me watching storms come in. It can be very easy to get caught up in all that is going on and perceive being to busy to do things like sit and talk to my son for a couple of hours, but there just might not be anything more important. We need to take the time!
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