Fall means running Cross Country. This sport has shaped so many of my fall seasons of life. First as a student athlete and now as a coach. This sport, which is all about racing across varied terrain, takes on an almost mythical quality for me and I suspect many other runners that are drawn to this open-air competition. The smell of the fresh air twinged with the scent of fallen leaves, the cool breezes that make the temperature feel perfect for running and a thousand memories of turning my running practice away from the fun frivolity of summer to the serious business of fall.

Now as a coach, I get to lead my runners through this transition in their own lives. To encourage them to take on discipline and work on achieving their specific running goals. It strikes me this is not dissimilar to the metaphor of fall we use at Seasons Leadership to help inspire transformation in this season of leadership.

“Fall signals the time to get serious again after a carefree summer of freedom, being in the flow and high energy,” shared Co-Founder Susan Ireland in a previous fall reflection. “I’m ready to start transitioning to what is next.” This seriousness is reflected in the dirt that kicks up from the shoes of my runners and the will to dig in on that next hill. The metaphor for me is so clear when I trace through the previous courses of my life and think about the will to continue.

Fall isn’t just about seriousness or accomplishing goals, it is also about reflecting on what to give up. “As we move into this season, we reflect on our journey,” shared Susan in another fall reflection. She then goes on to describe the process of reflection for Seasons Leadership. “We intentionally take time to reflect at our annual strategy meeting (part of our leadership operating rhythm which we teach to our leaders). Together we take stock in what the year has yielded, and we harvest the best ‘fruits.’”

Reflection and cross country are intricately linked for me too. Running many miles in training gives time and space for reflection. The pull of the next mile often coaxes me to continue thinking about all I have done and what is left to do. As I entered this season, I spent time reflecting on what needed to change in my coaching approach. How we could take the experiences that worked best and improve them and what training practices to abandon.

Excellent leaders engage in this formal practice as Susan outlines. Some hills you always have to climb, and others are optional and maybe not optimal on the journey to success. The season of fall for me will always be about the running of the race, not the finish line or the goal, but about how I carry myself through. That is what I strive to inspire my runners to focus on, the feeling of the race and the drive to improve and through that journey and reflection we end up accomplishing some amazing things.

Want more reflections on the season of fall?

Choose to Let Go This Fall | The Almanac| Seasons Leadership Program

Letting go is not a declaration that something is wrong; instead, it's about making room for new possibilities and experiences to take root.

Embrace the Season of Fall | The Almanac| Seasons Leadership Program

My energy shifts to a more mellow and reflective space in the fall. I love summer vibrancy but holding on feels superficial and no longer satisfying. Fall signals the time to get serious again after a carefree summer of freedom, being in the flow and high energy. I'm ready to start transitioning to what is next. Fall is the season of harvest. 

Seasons Leadership Fall Playlist
Embrace the season of fall with these songs selected by our Seasons Leadership Community on the Seasons Leadership Fall Playlist on Spotify.

At Seasons Leadership, we use the seasonal metaphor to help describe where we are in the cycle of change in our life or a specific aspect of life. Our overall life, relationships, careers, projects, visions/missions, and values go through seasonal change and growth at various rates and rhythms. At the beginning of each season, we discuss characteristics of that season to provide inspiration and clarity, but the metaphor is not tied to the calendar. 

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