by Mason Rutledge, President
For the last 15 days, I have been learning to stand.
You see, I purchased a stand-up paddleboard (SUP) about two weeks ago. Learning to ride, I found the top ten tips for successfully “SUPing:”
- Use a Leash.
- Choose the Right Gear.
- Check Wind Direction.
- Learn the correct paddling technique.
- Correctly Engage Your Core.
- Face the Right Direction.
- Keep Your Head Up.
- Give Yourself Enough Space.
- Fall away from the board.
- Only ride waves you can handle.
For the last 15 months, I have been with business leaders learning to “stand” amidst a pandemic. In that time, I have sat in over 120 C3 Forums meetings.
It is in these committed, transparent, peer-led groups that I have heard the incredible challenges people have faced to lead a business through this pandemic. For over a year, business leaders have had a fractious time finding their footing. Just when they have a solid stance, there are new phases, roll backs, cleaning requirements, or financial applications.
The pressure on these business leaders is unbelievable…
- Balancing the budget.
- Getting people paid.
- Getting people back to work.
- Do I ask for government help?
- DNI.
- Keeping business sanitized.
- Riots or protests.
- Rampant crime.
- New HR parameters.
It’s unstable…not unlike learning a stand-up paddleboard.
As we are riding out this challenge, let’s apply the top ten tips for riding a SUP to pandemic survival…
- Use a Leash – For your own safety, be tied to the Lord. John 15:5, “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
- Choose the Right Gear – Focus your study time on the Bible. Decidedly listen to the Spirit. Isaiah 30:21, “’This is the way, walk in it.’”
- Check Wind Direction – While the wind is transient, elusive, and ever-changing, it impacts us. Understand what is going in this transient, elusive, every-changing world. Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
- Learn the Correct Paddling Technique – Be excellent at business. Be a leader who does good business. Do the kind of deals that you would not mind being on either end of the close.
- Engage Your Core – Improve your strengths. This is not a time to focus on your weaknesses but rather work the fertile ground.
- Face the Right Direction – Go the right way. Isaiah 43:19, “I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
- Keep Your Head Up – Look to God. Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”
- Give Yourself Enough Space – Most of our calendars cleared during the pandemic. Keep it open, leaving time for God. Exodus 14:14, “The Lordwill fight for you; you need only to be still.”
- Fall away from the board – Do not rely on your human safety measures. Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.”
- Only ride waves you can handle – Only take on the challenges presented. Don’t go looking for a fight.
We are all learning to stand again. The key, as we shared in our last post, is that we Stand Up and Look Up to God.
See you on the water…but not in it.