About 10 years ago I took a course where I had to give a speech about leadership. Not a big deal, right? How hard could it be to cover that topic?
The course I was in was focused on leadership, there was a lot of material available, and I was surrounded by others in the course who would be willing to provide their own insight as I prepared. A+ in the bag.
Slam. Dunk.
As you may have already guessed, there was a twist to this seemingly simple assignment. I had two minutes to present. That's it. The instructor would stop me cold once the timer counted down.
I had less time than it takes to pick up a double-double at a Tim Horton's Drive-thru to provide a clear presentation on leadership.
Some of you might have breathed a sigh of relief at this point because you’re not a fan of speaking in public. Two minutes - up, down, done. But for me, I wanted to nail it. I was ready to embrace the challenge. I had only a two minute moment of time to speak about leadership. I prepared a talk on the power of leadership moments in our lives.
Leadership is all about how we handle each chunk of time we’ve been given. Leaders constantly have to decide what is the most effective course of action. Solid leadership is being able to recognize the moments we have and make the best choice we can. It isn’t always about making the right choice, but being aware that our leadership is defined by how intentional we are with each moment we have.
A moment can be two minutes, two seconds, or even a full morning. The point is - make the most of all the time you have available. Be intentional.
Leaders need to view each moment with the weight it deserves. This principle isn’t about stressing out, but about treasuring the opportunities we have to make a difference in the people and organizations within our circles. View your next 2 minutes as a leader as a chance to transform your world.
My speech for that course was more of a reminder to myself than anyone else. I still need that reminder today. I need to take this next moment to make the best choice I can to maximize my leadership.
How will you use your next moments?