This week we're talking about a new book that Kevin is working on entitled The Four Forces of Growth. We talk about the four forces, why they matter and what you can do to focus on growth. Here's an excerpt from Kevin's website outlining the four forces of growth. The 4 Forces of Growth We’re about a third of the way through this year, and it feels as if we’ve already burned a year’s worth of energy. Many people have slipped into troubleshooting, problem solving and pivoting within their businesses and I’ve seen some amazing ways that teams have rallied to change, improve and come out stronger and more unified. It’s incredibly impressive. So, now that we’ve made it through this initial storm, the key is to make sure that we become masters of prioritizing and focusing on what matters most. Unfortunately, when things become more chaotic – as they likely will be for a while – and there are many different perspectives and opinions, people often put their energy where their logic tells them. And they won’t find out, until a few months down the road, that it might not have been the best choice. That’s when the difference between strategic thinkers and amazing executers start to show up. Some people, for whatever reason, are better at figuring out the higher impact places to put their energy, and what to leave alone. Whether this is you, or not, the key is to have the right tools to help you and your team pick what matters the most – and to ensure you don’t get distracted and deluded by logical thought in an illogical time. Defying Logic From the beginning of recorded history, there have been people who pursued ideas and actions that defied logic. Like Leonardo Da Vinci who conceived a flying machine well before the Wright brothers took to the sky, or scientists in the 1700s who began to think that disease was caused by micro-organisms rather than bad blood or bad air. These unique people were drawn to hard, risky pursuits that contained very little instant gratification and, in many cases, sustained struggle and sacrifice. They were motivated and inspired by the impact of their pursuits and had the courage to push ahead – even when the logic of the day told them otherwise. Last August, I started work on a new book about this topic and, little did I realize that it would become incredibly important six months later. The premise of the book is to find a simple way to help people to evaluate their decisions – to truly understand if their priorities really help or hinder their growth. I’m fascinated by people who do the unthinkable and continue to defy logic, to persevere and succeed. After much research, I chose the analogy of flight and the pilots who defy gravity for extended periods of time. CEOs and pilots are very similar, both from a leadership perspective and they ways they make amazing things happen. The 4 Forces of Growth In an airplane, pilots have to pay attention to the principles of flight – Lift, Thrust, Weight and Drag: Lift is created by the wings and contrasted by the weight of the plane and gravity. When you get lift and thrust you get altitude The thrust of the engines pushing the plane forward is fought by drag, the resistance of air. Pilots – just like a CEO – must pay attention to these principles or they’ll quickly succumb to the forces of gravity. Here’s how this relates to the world of a CEO and leader: Lift happens when leaders lift their heads to look at opportunities – the future possibilities that help the business to get to a higher altitude of more revenue, more customers, more profit Weight are the problems we get sucked into Thrust is the courage to push ahead, make decisions and get into action Drag is fear and doubt as we spend too much time contemplating, delay decisions and are less likely to act boldly. Opportunities and Problems, Fear and Courage are the 4 Forces of Growth that shape and define four states we can find ourselves in, at any given time: Agony, Analysis, Growth and Improvement