Two Essential Questions to Get On Belay

In my last post, Get On Belay!, I wrote about the importance of the belay process in climbing. When executed consistently in your day-to-day life, the On Belay lesson will have a dramatic impact on your results.

I invite you to get into action with the Belay principle in just five minutes a day, leveraging three simple steps. Every day of your life, in your moment of awareness, start with two essential questions:

1. Who Do I Need On Belay Today?

To accomplish everything you have your sights on—your current climb, the myriad tasks and demands you are juggling, the chaos of your daily life and efforts to realize your potential—what person can you commit to reach out to and mutually serve? Whom do you need On Belay? Note that while you are intentionally connecting with the person you need On Belay, you are proactively offering to serve them.

Watch out for the excuse I give myself most often: “Well, I’m busy today” or, “I don’t want to bug them.” Ridiculous! We take time to communicate via most of those channels every day with many people. The difference here is that you are strategically, intentionally, and consistently On Belay for the person you need most.

2. Who Will I Belay Today?

This question helps you strategically focus on the one individual that needs your support most today. It could be a fellow team member, your boss, business colleague, or client. Do not limit yourself by the vertical or horizontal boundaries of your organization; again, do a quick check-in with them, using the phrase you feel most comfortable with, via the channel they are most attuned to, and that you have minimal resistance to using at that moment.

A common resistance I get from people is, “What do you mean ‘connect with people?’ I’m overwhelmed with email and phone calls, you name it. Manley, I’m connecting all day!”  The key difference is that when you Get On Belay, the connection is outbound and initiated by you. The true power of the belay comes from you being strategic and intentional in your belay efforts. When people in your life know you have them On Belay, they feel it in the sincere and consistent connections you make with them. Over time, the effect is profound and results will show up in ways you can’t imagine.

Know that giving equal focus and effort to both the people you need On Belay and to those who need you is essential. Upon reflection, people will often find that they may be providing a solid belay for others while not building the belays they need. Also, some people observe that they are connected to many every day who need them, but not in a deep, intentional, and meaningful way as the belay calls for. Of all the lessons you pick up in our time together, none will have a greater, more lasting impact on you and on those in your life than the belay, but only if you execute the final step.

3. Get On Belay!

This is the easy part: reach out and connect. In-person, human connection trumps all and is ideal, but don’t let that get in the way of Getting On Belay every day. Text, email, social media, phone, video or in person—just connect! And don’t overthink what you say when you reach out. Try a simple question like, “How are you?” Or let them know “I’m thinking of you.” It doesn’t take long and is worth it.

Remember that being On Belay is about you being intentional about who you need On Belay, and who needs you On Belay, every day.

Strategic, intentional, consistent connection.

This exercise is part of my Vertical Lesson One: Decide If It’s Worth It. To learn more about my 9 Vertical Lessons for Leading with Impact check out my new book Reaching Your Next Summit!

Your climb to excellence is never easy. The human drive within calls us to what is possible. The principles shared in this book will renew your commitment and inspire your quest for excellence. You will realize more of your potential as you sharpen your focus, act with courage, and generate momentum in reaching your next summit—and beyond.