Ed took me on a weekend getaway where we spent most all of our time outdoors cruising the calm waters on the lake and exploring the woods and surrounding parks. The owners of the cabin we rented, provided walking sticks for guests to use on their mini adventures. Ed and I had no idea how much we would appreciate the support these walking sticks gave us as we tackled some slippery terrain on our rainy hikes. It was just a stick, right? Upon arrival at the park’s entrance, there is a sign posted that said “all hikers must check-in at the front desk.” That was a good message telling us that this area may have some tricky hiking sections.
The beginning of the trail went very steeply downward and it was raining so the rocks were slippery. With every step, the walking stick gave us an extra point of contact, effectively helping us keep our balance. While we witnessed others having many difficulties on the wet rocks, one person unfortunately fell, we came to appreciate having these incredibly useful tools. We were able to focus on the trail and enjoy the beauty surrounding us. Why had we never thought about using these before? We live in an area where the terrain is fairly flat, but this was in an area of woods, steep hills, rocks, etc. This simple, easy to use walking stick helped us every step of our hike. It made our hikes much more enjoyable as we were able to have more confidence on our approaches down and up the sides of the mountains. I kept thinking about the cabin owners. How thoughtful they were to provide these for us.
This experience was a good reminder to me, to be open minded to new ideas, opportunities and in this case. . . a stick. How many things have I missed out on or passed by thinking “nah, I won’t need that?” As somebody who provides training for people who help people, finding tools to make our discipline/purpose more effective for the success of our clients, is very important to me.
What are some simple, easy to use tools, that you’ve provided for your employees for their performance and development? Having a tool kit of scientifically validated assessments is certainly a must, but what about the in-between time, while your people are on their development journey? Send us an email, we’d love to hear from you. I have to say, that weekend trip was amazing and so restorative. We wrote the cabin owners to thank them for the walking sticks. Now when we walk our flat trails back home, we reminisce about those walking sticks, and how much we needed them to lean on while hiking through those mountains.
Friendly Reminder: As EQ Practitioners we have the following tools available to us to help the development of our employees or clients. Are you using these?
EQ Reports: Workplace, Leadership, Workplace360, Leadership360, and Group
Action & Development Plan
The EQ Edge Book (Self-Assignment Sections for the EQ Skills)
EQ Growth Graphs – for Accountability, Tracking and Coaching Conversations
EQ Refreshers – Monthly Virtual Sessions
Leadership Call’s Blog Section
Thank you,
Chris Hennessy
