Why Leaders Grow by Falling in the Same Hole — Again

“Didn’t you just do that same thing?” my friend asks me over Marco Polo.

Crap.

I did.

I reply, “It’s so easy, isn’t it, to look at other people and be like meh and then miss your own hypocrisy?”

I’m a sucker for friends who tell me the truth.

This whole beautiful, messy journey of becoming more self-aware requires mistakes and then learning from them. The less justification for our catabolic responses, the more we’re able to change.

Portia Nelson’s poem “Autobiography in Five Short Chapters,” demonstrates this life-long journey perfectly. 

1. I walk down the street.
   There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
   I fall in.
   I am lost…I am hopeless.
   It isn’t my fault.
   It takes forever to find a way out.

2. I walk down the same street.
   There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
   I pretend I don’t see it.
   I fall in again.
   I can’t believe I am in the same place.
   But it isn’t my fault.
   It still takes a long time to get out.

3. I walk down the same street.
   There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
   I see it is there.
   I still fall in…it’s a habit.
   My eyes are open.
   It is my fault.
   I get out immediately.

4. I walk down the same street.
   There’s a hole in the sidewalk.
   I walk around it.

5. I walk down another street.

Think about the habits that got you where you are today. Maybe start here, with one of these:

Health, Relationships, Spirituality, Money, Purpose, Leadership

Reflection:

Where are you still walking down the same “street”?

Journal:

Set your timer for 10-20 minutes and write about the “chapter” you’re in above.

Want to see if our team is a good fit for a coaching partnership? Schedule a discovery call here.