Month: February 2024 (Page 7 of 16)

Wayback on February 11th, I had the honor to Q the Coconut Horse. We had runners and ruckers getting some miles in for an unseasonably warm winter morning. Following the COT, we went inside for Q-Source which is in the “freestyle” period. As the Q I selected a topic that I struggle with at work which is Delegation. I have a team of 11 people that work directly for me that I can best describe to those outside my place of work that we are a triage unit for problem appraisals at the bank. When we have a unique property that doesn’t easily fit into the guidelines or our policy doesn’t quite cover it, out team searches for a solution. Additionally, when someone doesn’t like their appraisal (i.e. their value), we dig into it. While everyone has their responsibilities, I as the manager have to delegate various projects, tasks or strategy.

In case you’re interested, I’ll give a brief summary, otherwise, feel free to close this out of your browser.

Delegation in leadership not only helps get things done, but it also empowers employees by giving them greater autonomy. No leader can do all things at all times, and delegation is a key tool for boosting team and organizational performance and efficiency.

Key methods why you would delegate:

• Frees up time – manager focuses on the strategy (in F3 lingo – the “Next 43 feet”)
• Encourages Prioritization of Tasks
• Empowers Employees
• Supports New Skill Development

One method to consider in better prioritization (and time management) is to divide tasks into 4 quadrants:

• Quadrant I (Urgent and Important): You feel you are constantly putting out fires and operating in emergency mode. Most of the projects you are working on demand your immediate attention due to a pressing deadline.
• Quadrant II (Not Urgent and Important): You feel like you are on top of things because of careful planning, preparation and prevention. Apart from planning and preparation, you focus your time on high-leverage projects, new opportunities, learning and relationship building.
• Quadrant III (Urgent and Not Important): Most of your time is spent with activities that require your immediate attention but are not necessarily related to your top priorities. You spend a lot of time in un-important meetings, being interrupted and dealing with non-critical phone calls and emails. You feel as if you are constantly dealing with issues that are important to others but not related to your own priorities.
• Quadrant IV (Not Urgent and Not Important): You often feel like you are wasting your time. You spend a lot of time on busy work that is not directly related to your goals, social media, videos, games and pointless web surfing.

According to surveys – the best leaders spend 80% of their time in Quadrant II – Not Urgent but Important.

As always, we had a lively discussion with sharing of information among our group.

YHC did not make the same mistake as last time and showed up at 5:15 for the 5:30 start at shark tank (which Cindy now takes credit for “making me a better man” or some such). Speaking of Cindy, he took every opportunity to mock Slaughter’s affinity for GrowRuck, which was in large part ignored. All in all we ran about 4.5 (forward and backward) miles with plenty of exercises and what felt like 4.5 miles of elevation change in the parking decks.

Well after joining in on the Misogi CSAUP challenge that Freight put together this morning I was beat. I figured this would be the case so I said what the heck we’ve got a perfectly good field here at Old School so let’s put it to use. So I laid out a field of battle with some cones and after a few readjustments and some equipment exchanges we were running through the worst game of Ultimate Frisbee in the history of F3. Between the Gail Force Winds and a few Prison Rules Fouls both of which I happened to be involved. I’m sorry Wiki. As for Westside I’ll not apologize. I’m not quite sure who’s fault that was but my neck and back still feel like I was hit by a Buick Riviera. All that being said these weren’t the worst injuries of the day. You see with all the bad luck most were having there was one of us who was on FIRE. It was The Man, The Myth, The Ledgend, Def Leppard. He was sporting The Downhill at Dawn race shirt and days of Leppard past were upon us on this glorious of days. And who you ask did he roast but none other than the peoples champ Slaw. When I say burned I mean I thought we were going to need to reserve a room at the Chapel Hill Burn Center for the poor guy. When heckled we shamed him and all he could do was say, “ Hey if you think you can do better then you get him.” We all said, “Nah there’s no point in anyone else needing to go to the ER with 4th. degree burns today. The Old Man caught like 5 TDs and tossed like another 3. In all reality his abuse of the Slawbag was downright disgusting. So much so that after The COT Slaw sat in his truck and cried before finally heading to Time Out to join us for breakfast. I’m telling you now if this was an episode of Chappelle’s Show Leppard would have been like “Game Blouses”. If you didn’t know now you do. If the Old Man’s not on your side then you better double team him. Well that’s all I got I’ve gotta head to Walgreens to get some Aloe Vera and nonstick bandages so Mrs. Slaw can clean and change his bandages.

Get Right!

Freight had to put in some work this morning at the office so he made a substitute request and I gladly accepted.

He handed over the notes so the werk I had to put in was very little.

I held a pick of two men One gun in hand and ready to roll. The other Super tight shirt holding in about 350lbs and he was holding, well nothing but he was leaning up on something.

The question? who would you follow into battle. Jokes came up behind the big guy LOL he can block bullets. But really you will most likely follow who you know and feel you can trust that seems to be the most ready.

We then discussed the different types of fitness, Spiritual, physical, and mental.

Glad to Sub when needed.

Bed Pan.

Continue reading

Warm Up

Mosey to main street lets do 5 burpees per light on the right side to the bus station.

Immediately after the pax started the mumble chatter about how many light post were on that side.

I said 10, I sort of counted them as I drove in this morning.

All said and done we seen 10- 34 lights and did burpees at each one.

To the Methodist church calf raises then 11’s Mike Tysons and big boys.

wall sits then onto the next wall for some Australian Mtn climbers.

10-1 booyah merkins mosey the circle then 10 squats on the other side.

We had to Omaha a few of the merkins.

The Bed Pan is full!

14 pax came out to welcome 2 FNG’s at The Yank.  As the clock struck 0700, the peanut gallery had already started jeering and heckling, even before I had a chance to give the full disclaimer.  From the very beginning, I knew this crowd was going to be lots of fun but tough to keep in line, and they didn’t disappoint.  We moseyed to The Bunker for warmup:  SSH, Imperial Walkers, Low-slow squats, merkins, Nolan Ryans, LBC’s (all 10xIC). 

The Thang:  We split up into 4 groups – in a crude manner that prompted criticism from a few armchair quarterbacks, but the method to the madness was to keep FNG’s with the guys who brought them out.   There were 3 exercise stations: Perfect form merkins, Jungle boy squats, and flutter kicks.  The 4th group bear-crawled from one station to the next.   The group at that station then bear-crawled to the next station, and so on.  I started music to begin the routine, but mumblechatter amongst the groups suppressed it into the background.  In my group with Gavel, Jane Fonda, and FNG Tom (aka Jelly Roll), we heard about Gavel’s upcoming Polar Bear Plunge into the pool at Lineberger Park, and Jane Fonda and Jelly Roll shared stories about modern college life. 

After one full circuit, groans and complaints from the pax told me I had done something right.  After 2 full circuits, I stopped the music, and we circled up to call out the 5 Core Principles:
1. Free of charge
2. Open to all men
3. Outdoors, rain or shine, heat or cold
4. Peer-led in a rotating fashion
5. Ends in a Circle of Trust

Without FNG’s, I would have done this Mayor style, testing the newbies and inflicting burpee penalties for punctuation errors or grammar mistakes.  And, in fact, when one of the pax shouted “Open to all men,” a few hecklers called out the fact that “Open to all men” is not the first core principle.  But, today it was more important to convey the meaning behind the principles since it’s part of what separates us from just another workout group or fitness center.

Next, we moseyed to Hawthorne St. for a Triple Nickel with big boy situps and Mike Tysons.  As a benevolent Q (only because we want our FNG’s to come back), I refrained from utilizing the entire gloriously steep hill, and instead defined the boundaries as a couple of telephone poles in the middle section of the street.  Bat flippers were to plank for the six.  Once the six was in, we talked about the F3 Credo: “Leave no man behind, but leave no man where you find him.”  This is the basic premise behind our practice of “picking up the six.”

We moseyed back to the bunker for another group of exercises in the same 4 groups as before:  Apollo Ono’s, Star crunches, and mountain climbers.  Transition between stations was lunge-walk.  After 2 full rounds, we circled up to review the 5 core principles, the credo, and bring it all together with the Mission of F3:  “to plant, grow, and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership.”

With 11 minutes left, we had enough time for another quick Triple Nickel – Bobby Hurleys and CDD’s.  Then we moseyed to the flag for a few flutter kicks, star crunches, and the pledge to close it out.  Great push by all!

Announcements:  2nd F lunch 2/21 at Pita Wheel in Belmont; March 2 Q school at Gashouse; Rice n Beans one Tuesday mid-March; April 20 extinction run (preblast coming soon)

Prayers:  Praise for Montana and Jane Fonda getting back out.  Prayers for Brutus in Africa and racers participating in various events today.

I was thrilled to see such a  high quality crowd of HIM’s come out to The Yank today!  We captured everything that F3 is about.   I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead and look forward to seeing Pinto and Jelly Roll back out again soon!

– Nutria

Beautiful but cool Saturday morning at the Schiele.  With the Dam to Dam relay in progress painlab and bootcamp were combined for the day.

We had a nice turn out, a beautiful morning, and a flag.  Let’s go.

Pledge

Warmup:

SSH’s x 15 dc

stretching

SSH’s x 15 dc

stretching

The Thang:

All counts are 15 unless otherwise stated.

Complete 3 rounds of each set and take a lap around the parking lot.  You can choose any way you want to do your lap.

Set 1;

Upright Rows

LBC’s

Squats

Set 2:

Pullovers with Crunch

Heels to Heaven

Calf Raises x 30

Set 3:

Merkins

Freddie Merks

Step Ups

Set 4:

Kettle Bell Swings

Penguins

Lunges

Set 5:

Overhead Press

Oblique Crunches

Side Lunges

Set 6:

Curls

Windshield Wipers

Monkey Humpers

Cool down was exactly the same as the warmup.

It was a very nice morning with some great guys.

We wish all of the Dam to Dam runners the best of everything and know they are doing us the PAX proud.

It was an honor!

Timeframe

The Goat, Taylor Swift Edition

20 pax showed up to answer Super Bowl trivia and marvel at the genius of Taylor Swift. The beat down was the following:

warmup: SSH (20), Gravel Pickers(10), Arm Circles (20), Merkins (8)…58 total, get it?

beat down: mosey from start to church lot, line up, answer the question, do the corresponding exercise then run to the opposite side and repeat.
squats, big boys, lunges,Bobby Hurleys, jump squats, hr merkins, calf raises, v-ups,

mosey back-same format but run a lap after each question around the buildings: burpees, alternating lunges, merkins, squats, run to bridge and 60 second walk sit. End with the COT and lift each other up in prayer.