Do you want to know how to lose about 20 pounds in less than 24 hours?  If so, read on!

I have recently dropped about 20 pounds and I did it in less than 24 hours.  Hard to believe, I know.  But it is true. But, just like the late night infomercials that are on TV, you need to read the fine print if you want to know the whole story. I truly have lost the weight. And it has taken less than 24 hours. However, the truth of the matter is that those “24 hours” have been spread out over the last 3 months and were expended in 20-30-minute workout sessions that consisted of running and walking up to 2 and 1/4 miles each time I worked out.

Sorry to disappoint you. I really wish it were easy enough to accomplish in one 24 hour day. But it just doesn’t work that way.

Having said that, losing weight is easier than you think.  At the end of the day, it is a mathematical computation. Each pound of fat that you want to lose equals burning about 3500 or 3600 calories MORE than is required for you take in over a period of time. Simply figure out your daily calorie requirement to maintain your current weight and physical activity. Figure out the amount of weight you want to lose. Decide how quickly you want to lose each pound. Then do the math. Subtract your daily intake from your daily requirements to maintain your current weight and take that number of calories and divide it into 3500 calories and the result will be the number of days it will take you to lose that pound of extra weight.

What is the leadership lesson here?

The leadership lesson is this. There is no quick weight loss method that really works and there is no quick leadership development process.

Becoming a leader takes time. It takes a lot of time. You cannot attend a magic seminar and “Poof!”, you are a leader. It doesn’t work that way. You will need to work at it a little bit each day. You will need to commit to exercising your leadership muscles on a regular basis.

You won’t lose a pound watching someone jogging or doing some sort of cardio exercise. You must do the exercise yourself. Likewise, you must exercise your leadership muscles if you want to develop in that area. Is the value in watching a great leader and learning from his/her style? Absolutely! But watching is not a substitute for doing. We don’t get in shape by observation and we don’t develop as a leader solely through observation.

Leadership is developed through doing. But, like last week’s article on learning to ride a bicycle, this is best learned at a young age. If you are a senior leader, are you providing regular leadership development opportunities for those around you who have leadership potential? And are these opportunities frequent enough that they can build on each experience?

A significant part of the mentoring process is demonstrating a skill and then providing an opportunity for someone to regularly practice that skill in a controlled environment. After a certain proficiency is established, you can release them to go and “exercise” that skill outside of your sight or control.  It is only then will you know if they have mastered the skill that you were trying to teach them.

And, oh, by the way, if you are not exercising your own leadership skills on a regular basis, then they will atrophy and become less effective over time.  Just like maintaining a healthy weight, we must exercise all areas of our life in order to stay in shape.

So, I’ll see you on the jogging trails!