A little inspiration

I was having a blah day the other day.  One where you are kind of in a fog when you get to work and the fog just kind of hangs around all day until you go home.  But somewhere along the way that day, I managed to make it to the sports store where I always buy running shoes.  There is a guy there that has run probably millions of miles over the years, and he always has an interesting thing or two to say.

And that's when I learned how to tie my shoes.

OK,  I know that you are thinking: wait, what?  You are how old and you just learned how to tie your shoes?  Yup.  I did.  You see, I tend to double tie all my laced shoes, especially running shoes, because it drives me bonkers to stop and re-tie them.  But the running shoe store guy showed me how to tie without the double knot, and they DON'T ever come untied.  This is the greatest. Thing. Ever!

Now you think I am really nuts, I know.  I just spent two paragraphs writing a "Dear Diary" entry.  But, there is a point.  This little tiny shoelace thing inspired me.  I learned something new.  Something that has been ingrained in me my entire life to do the same way.  I still catch myself doing it the old way, but I do correct myself and do it the new way. 

So maybe we, as Information Security leaders, can do something similar for our teams.  Maybe, just maybe, instead of handing out only "get it done" type of tasks, we try to find a way to show our teams how to tie their shoes.  OK, not literally!  But maybe we can teach them a skill that they haven't exercised in themselves enough to do well in the past (e.g. verbal communication), and maybe when they use it well (explain a technical risk to a non-technical person) and get that it works, maybe they too will be inspired.

Now back to me for a minute.  After my little shoelace lesson, I did notice a change.  The fog lifted and I made it consciously the rest of the way home.  Was it because my shoes were secured tightly on my feet?  Nope.  It was because I realized that I can still learn new things.  And sometimes, that's all it takes to get your inspiration back.

What do you do for your inspiration?