I’ll Never Be a Good Skier

I will never be an good skier, but my kid will.

I'm too old to build the muscle memory and confidence to trust my body to make good, quick decisions on the mountain. So, I will look and feel uncomfortable on anything but a groomed green run. My ego wishes things were different.

Fortunately for my daughter, she will be an excellent skier because she's learning at 5 years old rather than 35. On our recent trip to Montana she progress from pizza to taking a green run on her own in 7 days. She just goes for it with little hesitation. She falls and she laughs and gets up and goes away. I hesitate, analyze, overthink, and struggle.

The difference is muscle memory. Kids develop it quickly, while adults tend to overthink every movement and decision. We know too much about the risks.

Leadership works the same way. Experienced leaders trust their instincts, while new leaders hesitate, overanalyze, and second-guess themselves. The good news is that leadership “muscle memory” can be developed at any age or stage.

Here are 3 ways to strengthen your leadership muscle memory as a new manager:

1️⃣ Make Small, Fast Decisions – Do not try to solve the whole problem right now, instead focus on the next incremental step and make that decision. Start small and build up. The more you practice, the more natural and quick it will become.

2️⃣ Reflect, But Don’t Ruminate – Debrief and reflect on decisions you've made. Write down what worked and did not and how you could do it differently next time then move forward. Do not ruminate on mistakes or what could have been.

3️⃣ Practice Makes Progress, Not Perfection – Like skiing, leadership is learned by doing. Put yourself in situations where you must lead regularly in small ways and practice. This may be taking on a new assignment or taking the lead in a meeting that is adrift.

The best leaders balance trust the process with control and let experience shape their instincts. Adult skiers like me, on the other hand, have to get comfortable with mediocrity, looking silly, and enjoying green runs.