We started Applied Leadership Partners a little over five years ago, and since then, we've had countless conversations with people who are thinking about getting into this business, especially former military folks who understandably see leadership development as a natural next chapter. The barrier to entry seems relatively low: if you can speak, teach, or coach, you're in, right?

Not exactly.

Earlier this week, I reacquainted myself with an old frien-emy: Fran.

For those unfamiliar with CrossFit, Fran is a short, classic workout that consists of twenty-one thrusters followed by twenty-one pull-ups, then fifteen of each, then nine of each. And that's it. As Pat Sherwood would say, “couldn’t be simpler”! Most people finish in under seven minutes, and many experienced athletes can complete it in under three. So why am I so sore today and why does the mere mention of this workout induce sweaty palms throughout the CrossFit community?

It’s the middle of my third Maine summer and I've discovered something unsettling about myself: I’m not very good at enjoying summer.  

Here’s a snapshot to help explain what I mean: It's 2 PM on a Tuesday. The sky is that impossible shade of blue, it’s a perfect 78 degrees, and a gentle breeze carries the scent of pine and salt air…through my office window. And here I am, sitting at my desk, staring out at the world like a caged animal, practically vibrating with the need to be anywhere but here.

There's a profound difference between perseverance and endurance, and unless you’re a word-nerd or leadership consultant (I’m both), it is easy to miss. We often celebrate endurance as the ultimate virtue: the ability to withstand anything, to never break, to be invincible. But true perseverance is something else entirely.

We humans tend to overcomplicate things, especially our personal challenges. We spend countless hours and dollars searching for the answers. We listen to all the podcasts and read all of the books. We write in our journals, meditate and ask for advice - ever hopeful that if we just keep thinking about it, we’ll eventually find a clear, and ideally painless, path toward what we’re seeking. 

It is time to start planting our garden here in Maine, and the process of doing so has me thinking a lot about, what else, leadership! Stay with me, because I think this metaphor really works.  Leadership is a lot like tending a garden. You must nurture the soil that feeds everything while also caring for each individual plant that struggles to thrive. Ignore the soil, and even the hardiest plants will wither. Focus only on one struggling seedling, and the entire garden suffers neglect. Success lies in the art of doing both, simultaneously and thoughtfully.

Our friends in the Navy SEALs have a saying: "The only easy day was yesterday." It sounds pessimistic, but there's a profound truth there. The path forward is rarely as smooth as we imagine when we first set out. Whether you're launching a business, building a community, or working to strengthen your marriage, the journey will almost certainly be longer, harder, and more complex than you anticipated.

The long march of human progress resembles a trek through the range of mountains, with each summit representing a distinct economic era. At each of these local peaks along the way, we felt initially satisfied with our accomplishments, but later realized that this was not our ultimate destination and there is still higher ground up ahead. And while we are right to value how far we’ve come, we must equally appreciate how far we have to go. Each leg of the journey has strengthened us in some ways and taken a serious toll on us in others. Today, we believe we are traversing our most precarious ridgeline yet, but if we navigate it successfully, we can ascend to our highest and most significant summit – the wisdom economy.

One of the most dangerous misunderstandings of empowerment is that it requires leaders to be less engaged with their teams. This is simply not the case. Let me be clear: People are not empowered by your absence. People are empowered by your presence. 

Our family moved to Maine a couple of years ago, and though it has taken some time to settle in, we’ve really started to enjoy life here. I’m not sure if it’s the pace of life, the long winters, or the friendly people, but I have definitely felt something within me shift. And I've found myself wrestling with a question that feels both simple and profound: What does it mean to be good?