Follow The Yellow Brick Road...
Small Steps Lead to Courageous Action: Key Takeaway from 'The Hard Thing About Hard Things'
Hey there, Erin here! This week’s newsletter is all about courage, and it’s the last key takeaway and last book of my summer blog series of The Anti Book Club. With the movie remake of “Twister” coming out and being from Kansas, it was only fitting that I make an OZ reference….
Here we go, the very last takeaway for The Anti-Book Club….
If you’ve been following along, my brick-and-mortar yoga studio, YESyoga, is officially closed and we are wrapping up The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz.
Let’s start with a quote that hit me in my chest:
But they both feel the same, the hero and the coward. People who watch you judge you on what you do, not how you feel. - Cus D’Amato, Legendary Boxing Trainer
No lie, in making the yoga studio closing announcements, I would get frustrated at a few of the people who I thought would check in on me and didn’t. But what didn’t go unnoticed were the people who continued to celebrate my courage with the decision that I made. While I don’t see myself as the “hero” in this story, I do know that I do not see myself as a “coward.”
Many of the decisions we make are based on the season of life we are in or on the season we are preparing to enter. Making hard decisions takes courage, and acting on those decisions is what really matters. That’s the thing about hard things, they are f*cking hard, and not everyone will be happy. Ben calls this process of continuing to be scared but still brave in your actions: the courage development process.
He says, “In life, everybody faces choices between doing what’s popular, easy, and wrong versus doing what’s lonely, difficult, and right.”
Practicing making courageous decisions over and over again is still hard, but the idea of hard begins to change and soften over time…inevitably there becomes a “harder” decision.
Wartime or Peacetime
In all of this decision-making, Ben also talked about being in Wartime or Peacetime as the CEO of your business. You have to know if you’re in “wartime” or “peacetime.” But first, let’s rebrand and define these terms…
Hustle CEO (formally known as “wartime”) - when your business is facing an immediate threat from a competitor, economic climate, or a major market shift. You gotta go into hustle-mode and do all the things. As a leader, according to Ben, you are more likely to: break the rules, care about every small detail, focus on winning the market, and focus on the task at hand which is the present.
Harmony CEO (formally known as “peacetime”) - when your business is growing and has a competitive advantage, and you’re working on growth opportunities. You feel like everything is in harmony and you may be able to see a clear path ahead. As a leader, according to Ben, you are more likely to: focus on the big picture, set huge goals, set and define your culture, have an abundance mindset, and tend to minimize conflicts.
…so, here’s what I didn’t tell you, but Ben says you are most likely only skilled at one type of CEO, not both. it’s about knowing when to follow the rules and knowing when to break them that matters.
Remember, there is a difference between living in chaos and making decisions in stressful situations. You can only “thrive” in chaos for so long, even if you’re skilled at explosive action-taking.
REALITY INVENTORY
Let’s take a reality inventory
Whether you’re a Hustle CEO or Harmony CEO, most likely there’s a big decision looming, ask yourself: What’s the next choice or step I can make right now to best support myself?
What’s interesting about this question is that you should jump straight to hero or coward. This should be a short, easy step. Whether it’s an email you can send, some numbers you can run, or an idea you should write down, it’s much easier to make a bunch of small decisions so the courage development process gets easier and easier…just like “The Cowardly Lion” in the Wizard of Oz.
For me, closing YESyoga wasn’t an immediate one-time choice, it was a series of questions, answers, data looks, emotional check-ins, and back-and-forths. Just like Ben, courage has gotten easier and easier over time, but that doesn’t mean it’s not scary. I’ve just gotten way more comfortable with the courageous jumps of being in a squirrel suit and jumping into the canyons of entrepreneurship.
As you reflect on your own leadership style and decisions, remember the core takeaway: Making hard decisions is part of growth. By continually practicing courage, you become more adept at handling whatever comes your way. Every small, courageous choice you make builds your strength and capability over time.
Be courageous, be capable, and be strong.
I’d love to hear what you’ve thought about THE ANTI BOOK CLUB, please leave a comment below about your leadership style of Hustle or Harmony CEO!