Page 183 - Never Fly Solo

156 | NEVER FLY SOLO
action provides the vector. You have to release the brakes on
your jet and roll down the runway with a target and a plan,
knowing full well what the stakes are. It can be overwhelm-
ing, and it is never easy. But the greatest results require the
greatest risk and effort.

FEAR OR LEAD

We all know someone who recently lost a job or whose busi-
ness is struggling. Maybe it’s you. Business can be tough. Sales
sometimes drop, budgets get slashed, and jobs are cut. When
this happens, we all are affected. And while you can’t always
control everything in your work life, you can control how you
react to what is happening. An old friend of mine once told
me, when adversity strikes, “You either fear or lead.”
If you fear, you crawl out of bed, anxious and worried,
and focus on what you don’t have. You become strangled
with doubt. You strap into your jet ready to take off, but then
push up the throttle with the brakes on. Doubt keeps your
foot on the brakes and destroys the warrior spirit. It kills
performance, which inevitably leads to failure.
If you lead, you jump out of bed, acknowledge your fear
(it’s normal to be afraid when adversity looms), and then give
thanks for what you have. You marshal your resources, plan
the day’s mission, and take action. You focus on doing, not
doubting—on performance, not philosophy. You understand
that you are in control of your jet and are ultimately respon-
sible for getting it to the target and back.
As I mentioned before, attitude alone does not determine
altitude. Attitude plus action determines altitude!
The world rewards action, not attitude.
When adverse conditions arise, you have to ask your-
self, will I fear or lead? In turbulent times, when the mis-