Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building, and golachieving. This
Speaker 1: is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul Fellavaledo.
Speaker 2: Hello everyone, and welcome to this seven minute leadership podcast.
Speaker 2: It's episode three ninety two and this episode is inspired
Speaker 2: by one of the funniest, most accurate leadership memes that
Speaker 2: I've ever seen, and you've probably come across at too.
Speaker 2: It says being a leader is easy. It's like riding
Speaker 2: a bike, except the bike is on fire. You're on fire.
Speaker 2: Everything is on fire. Now, let's be real. That's not
Speaker 2: just funny, it's painfully true. So let's talk about it.
Speaker 2: When people picture leadership, especially from the outside looking in,
Speaker 2: they think it's polished. You're the boss, you've got the
Speaker 2: corner office, you give orders, you inspire, you go home
Speaker 2: feeling accomplished. But those of us in the seat know
Speaker 2: the truth. The seat, by the way, is on that
Speaker 2: burning bike. So let's break this analogy down and talk
Speaker 2: about what each piece really means. The first part of
Speaker 2: the quote, it's like riding a bike. That sounds easy, right,
Speaker 2: We've all been told once you learn how to ride,
Speaker 2: you never forget. Leadership At first glance feels like that too.
Speaker 2: You figure out how to delegate, how to motivate, how
Speaker 2: to speak with confidence, and how to set goals. You
Speaker 2: think I've got this, But leadership is not a smooth
Speaker 2: ride through the park. It's uphill on gravel in the dark,
Speaker 2: with no brakes. The next part of the quote except
Speaker 2: the bike is on fire. Now we're getting to the truth.
Speaker 2: The systems you're trying to operate your business. Your team
Speaker 2: can break down at any moment. Staffing shortages, the bikes
Speaker 2: on fire, budget cuts. The bike's on fire. Two employees
Speaker 2: just quit midshift in HR's on vacation. You guessed it.
Speaker 2: The bike is in flames and you're still expected to pedal.
Speaker 2: That's leadership. You move forward even when your tools are
Speaker 2: breaking down underneath you. The third part of this quote,
Speaker 2: you're on fire. This is where the analogy hits home,
Speaker 2: because when things go wrong, the leader doesn't just watch
Speaker 2: from a distance. You feel it. The stress, the pressure,
Speaker 2: the late night emails, the sleepless nights wondering if you
Speaker 2: made the right decision. You're burning up, not just physically
Speaker 2: from exhaustion, but mentally from decision fatigue, emotional labor, and
Speaker 2: the constant demand to show up strong even when you
Speaker 2: feel weak. But here, here's what separates good leaders from
Speaker 2: great ones. Great leaders don't pretend the fire isn't there.
Speaker 2: They just learn how to operate in it. They don't
Speaker 2: panic when everything heats up. They've been there before. They
Speaker 2: know how to keep moving forward even when it hurts.
Speaker 2: And the last part of the quote everything is on fire,
Speaker 2: Let's be honest. There are days where everything around you
Speaker 2: feels like it's coming apart. Team morale is down, there's conflict,
Speaker 2: deadlines are missed, customers are upset, and somehow someone still
Speaker 2: expects you to show up with donuts and a smile.
Speaker 2: That's the job. Leadership isn't about avoiding fires. It's about
Speaker 2: knowing which ones need to be put out and which
Speaker 2: ones just need to burn off on their own. So
Speaker 2: what's the point of this whole crazy analogy. It's this,
Speaker 2: you're not crazy for feeling like things are on fire.
Speaker 2: That means you're actually leading. Anyone can lead when things
Speaker 2: are calm, but real leaders are revealed when things catch fire.
Speaker 2: If you're still peddling, still showing up, still doing your
Speaker 2: best while everything burns around you. Let me say this,
Speaker 2: You're doing it right. Leadership isn't about perfection. It's about endurance,
Speaker 2: it's about grit, and it's about showing others that fire
Speaker 2: doesn't mean failure. It means you're in the fight. So
Speaker 2: the next time something catches fire in your organization figuratively,
Speaker 2: of course, don't freeze. Acknowledge it, prioritize what matters, and
Speaker 2: remind yourself you've ridden through worse, You've been down this
Speaker 2: path before. Remember the bike may be on fire, but
Speaker 2: so are you. And that fire in you, that drive,
Speaker 2: that resilience, that's what leadership looks like. So keep pedling.
Speaker 2: You'll get through the flames and you'll be better for
Speaker 2: it on the other side. This has been the seven
Speaker 2: minute Leadership Podcast, and I thank you for listening.
Speaker 1: For more Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com.