I do not know if you are good at deconstructing bikes, one part at the time; I am not, so I will improvise. Bear with me!
Let’s begin with the back end of this bicycle.
Rear spokes, marked with different colors, depict leadership processes. These are activities and behaviors one continuously performs in one’s role as a CEO, a tennis competitor, a parent — you name it. It is up to you which part of life you will improve next, and how.
The how of leadership process requires more reflection, insight, and breaking down of the big picture. You must identify which activities need improvement.
Team meetings you never run on time? Being proactive at seeking — and reflecting on — a constructive feedback from your colleagues? Utilizing given resources effectively? Only you can point out areas needing refinement.
The colored dots on the spokes would ideally be superimposed on the wheel, as far away from the center of the wheel as centrifugal force will allow. The reasoning? Even a clumsy biker like me knows that it is difficult to ride with a flat tire. The more the connected dots resemble a circle, the smoother and more enjoyable a ride will be — this means high performance.
Front wheel shows a way by which one learns to perform each leadership process at the highest efficiency — Plan; Do; Check; Act. PDCA cycle spins in the opposite direction to the wheel because it requires slowing down. This bike runs on thorough analysis and leadership process performance, not autopilot.
So, presuming you have an end goal in mind already; you now need a strategy (a personal Hoshin Kanri, if you will): What are the steps you will take to execute your goals? How will you know that you have done your job as specified? How are you going to deal with mistakes? Inputs, outputs, mistake-proofing… you get the gist of it. PDCA will help you structure it all: its cyclical nature will remind you that becoming good at something is indeed a process!
And, onto the basket, which collects all the learnings from the journey that you, the biker, will pull when the need arises. Random pushing of knowledge like from a slingshot is not recommended!
PS. Let’s dedicate this bicycle to William Shakespeare whose respectable 456th birthday is today! Happy Birthday, young fellow! 🙂