I have a friend who is a runner.  A really fast runner.  He’s also quite modest, so if I want to tease him, all I have to do is call out “5:48!” as a greeting.  That’s the time it took him to run each mile of a half marathon.  On a good day, my time for much shorter distances is around 9:30.

Which is why I’ve asked if he wouldn’t mind pacing me a few times as I look toward elevating my running performance over the next couple of years.  I don’t have any illusions that I’ll be able to run as fast as he does.  It’s not as if by some magic, his running time will become mine.

But what if, by asking myself to run faster than usual, I could eventually run as fast as I can?

The people we surround ourselves with make a difference.

Who are you enlisting to help you stretch?

To aspire?

Next month, I’m speaking about aspiration and Magnificent Leadership™ at the NCSHRM State Conference where I’m joining a fantastic speaker lineup that includes Marshall Goldsmith.

In October, I’m delivering the closing keynote on Magnificent Leadership™ at the Richmond SHRM Strategic Leadership Conference where I’m proud to join a keynote roster that includes Dorrie Fontaine, Dean of the University of Virginia’s School of Nursing, and Lisa Horn, Director of Congressional Affairs at SHRM.