Tales Of Leadership: The Unknown

What's up, Cadre family? It is Luke Wentland. I am so excited to be here today with you. This is probably one of my most favorite topics of all time about bracing the unknown. So again, my name is Luke Wendtlandt. I have been with the organization since day one. I'm viewed as your chief motivational officer. Super, super excited to be here to chit chat with you about this. This is all about embracing the unknown and I am going to give you some tips. So, like I said, I'm really, really excited about this opportunity.

And we're just about to go. I'm going to take a sip of water and then we're going to get going. One of the things that I'm going to give you a fist bump, too. Let's go. One of the things that I would say over the last, better part of the last decade, if somebody asked me, some of the most successful individuals that you've had the opportunity of privilege to connect with, what skills or traits do they usually possess? You know what I would say? Adaptability. How adaptable can you be? And so I'm going to give you some tools today.

I'm going to give you three, actually, that are going to allow you to continue to learn, develop and grow, and most importantly, be adaptable. Okay. So give me 1 second. This is going to be a fun one. This is going to be a fun one. Joe Pajoy. What up, Alec? What up, new fee lover? Sue. Oh, it's always good to see you, Sue. I hope everything's going wonderful in Vermont, maybe weather like we have in Minnesota right now, unseasonably warm. It's kind of crazy. Crazy great. All right, let's rock. This is going to be super fun.

Embracing the unknown, whether it's as an individual, as an individual in a business or a leader or a subordinate in an organization. You can do all of these and you can do all these now. You ready for this? I'm in an airport. The two hour delay. I'm adapting. Oh, my gosh, I love it. That's so great. So again, embracing the unknown. What are some things that we can learn from this stretching outside of our comfort zone? Learning to grow, not being able to control everything. Learning how swiftly.

Not warm enough for the SAP to run, though. Oh, gosh, you're the best. Again, being adaptable and having your plans continue to shift and change. I think this allows you to be malleable not only in life, but as an employee or continue to grow as a leader. Ready? So stretch yourself outside of your comfort zone. How on earth am I going to do this? I'm gonna give you three tools. Number 1, March 31. End of March, we're heading into April. April 1 is a new quarter. Are you guys ready for this? Stretch goals.

Stretch goals. What on earth is a stretch goal? So usually you have goals with your job or responsibility. Maybe they're designed around key result areas. Maybe they're KPI's. Maybe it's roles and responsibility of your job description. So when we talk stretch goals, what this allows you to do is put goals within goals. Some of those stretch goals might be to, let's say, build or develop a new website. Push myself into, if I'm working the health and human services field, maybe push into a new license, maybe if I'm working for an organization, I'm coming up on my one year to have a card, have hard conversation with my boss or supervisor in regards to my job review so I can potentially put myself in position for a promotion or otherwise.

Right. So stretch goals are goals that you're going to put yourself in to embrace uncomfortability, that you're going to have to put yourself in an adaptable situation where you might not know the answer. Okay, number two, ready for it. So number one is a stretch goal. Put a stretch goal on your plate for a quarter. Two. Number two, finish line, work backwards. I'll give you an example. When we started Cadre, we had the countdown to launch. We had a website, it was a countdown to launch. What does that actually mean to start Cadre?

That we had a app on the App Store that was set, ready to go, that somebody could download the app and get into the app. It was out of beta mode. Right. So in order for us to get there, we took our finish line and we worked our way backwards. So in order to actually have the app on the App Store and have somebody be able to download the app, we have to work it all the way back. Probably need a developer, probably need a website. Probably need, probably need, probably need. Before you know it, you have these 15, 2030 different things that you're just gonna have to figure out.

You're just gonna have to figure out. You're gonna have to try to figure out how are we gonna actually get this app in the App Store when you don't have a clue. My old neighbor, he started building fishing poles, fishing rods. He loves fishing, fishing a lot. But his goal probably started with, I am going to catch a fish with this rod. But the reality is he's got to develop and learn a lot about what's needed or necessary to build a fishing rod to learn about the fishing line and how to develop all the thing, what wood to use, all of it.

But you got to start somewhere with the goal, starting at the finish line and working your way backwards. So again, number one is stretch goal. Number two is working your finish line backwards when it comes to your goal. So I'd like to have you throw something out there as a big goal, whatever that goal might be in your life, and you're going to look at the end result. The end result is this. And I'm going to get there. H*** or high water, I'm gonna get to that goal. So what does that mean? I've got to work my way backwards and keep going and keep going until I get there, right?

So, again, these are some things that you can take within your toolbox. Those first two, the last one. This one's a little personal. This one's a little personal. Okay. Find hard things to do and actually search them out. So, again, you guys have heard me talk about sauna, cold plunge. You heard me talk about the steps I get in a week, whether it's hopping on a treadmill, getting exercise in, working out, meditation, journaling, bedtime routine, you name it. Regardless, it is putting something on the calendar every single day to ensure that I'm pushing myself to the limits when it comes down to finding hard things to do so I can be uncomfortable every day.

I'm just about to head downtown to this event. It's the beta event for our startup community in our backyard in Minneapolis. And before I go, you know where outside? You know where I'm parked outside? Embrace north, right there. What am I gonna do in embrace? I'm gonna hit the sauna. I'm gonna hop in the sauna. I'm gonna get. I'm gonna sweat it out. I'm gonna get in the cold plunge, and then I'm gonna hop down to do it. Right. But that's important to me, to embracing that unknown. Today I had a difficult, complicated first call that I'm learning a lot from.

Right? These things happen, and they happen in life because I'm putting myself in positions to be insanely uncomfortable. And I just grow and grow and grow and grow, and I continue to put myself out there. I have zero care about being embarrassed. Who cares? Who cares what people think? Embarrass yourself. Embarrass away. But if you get stretch goals and you set up stretch goals and you push yourself out there under the finish line with something at the end and you put yourself in line to do hard things routinely, repeatedly.

Trust me when I tell you you're going to grow and you're going to learn how to not be in control. You're going to learn a lot about yourself. You're going to stretch your side out outside your comfort zone. Your plans are going to change. And last but not least, you're going to have to be very adaptable. So these are three tools that I'm going to give in your toolbox today for you to embrace the unknown and learn to develop and grow. So I can't wait to hear about what's one of your stretch goals next quarter.

That's going to be so exciting for me. I can't wait to hear about how one of your finish lines items towards the end and work yourself back. I can't wait. I can't wait to hear one of those finish line type of things that you can pull backwards. And last but not least, I can't wait to hear about how you're finding hard things to do on the daily to be able to push yourself. Maybe it's waking up early, maybe it's getting that bedtime routine in line. Maybe it's the food you eat outside of your breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I'm no diet dietitian. I would never claim to be. But it's just in ways in which you can push yourself to try to find ways to embrace the unknown and embrace uncomfortability, which means you're gonna have to adapt. And when you can adapt and you can be an adapter in life, whether it's things don't go your way, whether it's life hits you in the mouth, guess what? You're gonna get it, and you'll be just fine. So with that, I wish you nothing but the best of luck, and I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful evening.

And I'm always here for you. And I can't wait for Monday already. As things continue to evolve, develop, adapt and grow at Cadre, we're always going to be here, and I'm looking forward to that adaptability, and it'll have to push me into my comfort zone so I can continue to find the unknown, which is amazing. So I love it. Have a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful day.