Walking Towards Excellence: Lessons from the Camino for Executives

I believe strongly in continual improvement.  It doesn’t matter if I’m cooking breakfast, practicing yoga, riding my bike, or running a meeting, I am constantly looking for ways to improve my outcomes.  My kids tell me if the omelet was sub-par.  My yoga teacher adjusts my poses.  Strava tracks my achievements on the bike.  But as executives, it’s often hard to get the explicit feedback we need to improve our actions at work.  I believe that forging ahead, sometimes without feedback and direction, sets leaders apart, but is that enough?  No.  We all have blind spots and weaknesses. We all can improve.

Top-level individual performers, like professional golfers, have swing coaches, personal trainers, psychiatrists, and nutritionists.  Why?  Their clubs, the tools they use, are constantly evolving.  Players around them are raising the competitive pressure. Winning a four-day event takes talent, practice, mental strength, and emotional fortitude. 

Elite team athletes like NFL football players have strength coaches, specialty skills coaches, unit coaches, and more...  Why?  The team only wins when everyone contributes. Every single person on the field has a job to do, and every single person needs to be their best and execute their responsibilities.  It takes a clear definition of individual responsibilities and a high degree of trust.  After every game, the coaches and team watch the game, looking for ways to improve from the individual execution to the team’s executive.  Feedback is one of the cornerstones of improvement.

"Practice doesn't make perfect,

perfect practice makes perfect"

A legendary American football coach, Lombardi was known for his emphasis on discipline, dedication, and attention to detail, and this quote reflects his belief in the importance of practicing effectively and efficiently to achieve excellence. The question to ask yourself is, "are the methods that I am practicing, the best available methods to achieve my desired outcome?"

The best-of-the-best use coaches to stay relevant and increase their chances of success.  If you are an executive in the US, you represent 0.1% of the working population.  You’re an elite member of the working community.  But just like that NFL player (0.3% of the football community) and that professional golfer (0.002% of the serious golfer community), you can benefit from a coach.  

An executive coach will help you see your blind spots.  They will help you learn new skills.  They will help you focus on your core objectives to improve your performance.  Coaches can also help you build a team around you.  And finally, a coach will hold you accountable.

So how does this relate to the Camino de Santiago?  The law of diminishing returns comes into play here.  Executives are highly experienced and accomplished professionals who have already reached a high level of proficiency in their roles. While there is value in further development, the potential for significant improvement may be limited compared to earlier stages in their careers.  I believe that we need to become more vulnerable to overcome the law of diminishing returns and the Camino de Santiago is one way to achieve this vulnerability.  From Brene Brown’s TED Talk titled The Power of Vulnerability; 

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of creativity, innovation, and change. To create is to make something that has never existed before. There’s nothing more vulnerable than that. Adaptability to change is all about vulnerability.”  

By committing to the Camino de Santiago, you commit to a path of vulnerability.  You’re likely taking on a physical challenge, unlike anything you have ever done.  You’re committing to a lifestyle tremendously different from your comfort zone.  You’re dedicating more time to yourself than you have ever invested.  You’re opening yourself to a new experience.  All of this creates vulnerability.  All of this creates the power to improve.

You will hear it over and over again while you’re walking.  The Camino provides… No truer words have been spoken.