The Dizzy Climb

As we (me & my family) were exiting from the IHOP restaurant in Brevard, Florida we saw a sign for Brevard Zoo. We were very clear that we didn't want to visit Disney or Universal parks to avoid year end holiday frenzy. When wait times were multiple times longer than ride time, it didn't make it worth the park visit. As we didn't have any other plan we decided to explore Brevard Zoo. Finding the parking lot full at 10 AM was a good sign that we found a happening place though it is relatively unknown. In addition to the zoo, we were excited to hear about the obstacle course. I knew that there is more than one day of exciting fun to engage kids. We chose the toughest obstacle course (Black Diamond) to align to our adventurous spirit but wasn't sure if we can finish as we didn't know what exactly is in store.

As we went through the obstacle course, we realized how critical the safety rope hooked to our harness is. We were trained to shout "clear" as we reach each level and remember to unhook & throw the support rope to next in line.

It was a beautiful learning experience which reminded me of leadership in realtime:

• As we climb up, it is inspiring to see our associates climb along or ahead of us.

Appreciate other's growth to feel inspired

or

choose to feel jealous to stun our growth!

• Throwing the safety rope down is like mentoring to uncover team's blind spots, providing visibility for efforts from the team instead of taking all the credit, not showing favoritism and making them feel that we have their back.

It shouldn't feel lonely on top!

• If we are focused only on ourselves then obviously we will feel lonely wherever we go, we can't trust anyone & we can only go so far as we can go alone. The magic of synergy is never realized.

Our team's success is our success.

• We should also be ready to discover our own safety rope instead of waiting (more on this later).

Shoot your web & create your rope!

• We should find our niche to keep our momentum.

Momentum is not just in moving up but having the discipline to consistently sharpen our skills to add value everyday.

Some obstacles were really challenging & pushed our limits but we were a happy bunch as we emerged as Black Diamonds from the toughest obstacle course in Brevard!