“Are we going to survive this?”

Those in the Retail industry for any length of time have undoubtedly had close encounters with this question. For some with many seasons in the trench, it’s mostly an unstated curiosity that enters our mind when the exceptional occurs… It’s a quandary reserved for unforeseen interference with the likes of tariff uncertainty, COVID-19 pandemics and Coldplay kiss cams. For others with fewer near-death experiences, it’s additionally burdensome, as a pesky query that arrives with unsettling frequency. Yes, sometimes with no merit at all.

Regardless of the commonness of this question, when it arises, our organizational mortality moves in completely to the forefront of our mind – – and, perhaps, to the top of the agenda for our next meeting.

There Is No “I” in Team – But There Is in “Birthday”

For those of us who have eclipsed a few birthdays with a “0” on the end, this is when an expanded roster of loved ones often gathers and celebrates with us. In 2025, I had no such birthday. In fact, I was squarely in the middle of those attention-grabbing zeroes, as #55 rolled in. As it did, I gifted myself some solitude to make good on a declaration from earlier in the year.

My birthday fell on a Saturday. I would take a personal day on the preceding Friday. And I would use those 2 days to fastpack 55-miles in 30 hours or less with my ultradog, Dingo. Pass or fail with my birthday-inspired mileage total, I would be out of the National Forest by sundown on my birth date. Zero-less birthdays included, any day that is mine to fully manage includes time with family to breathe-in my greatest blessings.

It could be said this level of self-induced challenge was modest… For sure, it was hardly headline-worthy. I’ve loved the outdoors for decades, I’ve logged more total miles on-foot than most automobile engines will ever be on the road, and I work in an industry that provides for and promotes such endeavors. With a near-daily routine of running for more than 30 years, as well countless marathons and ultramarathons in the rearview, there were highly known outcomes in the presence of all that was unknown to achieve this feat. As best-selling author Marie Forleo instructs, “Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally. It comes from what you do consistently.”

Nonetheless, it was still a 50+ mile unsupported overnight trek with conditions that would undoubtedly require stamina. And I would be on the clock. My chosen route was 56.8 miles on the Benton MacKaye Trail, from north of where I live in Blue Ridge, GA on Highway TN68, to a riverside stool and a craft beer tap at the Historic Tapoco Lodge. With a 30-lb pack on my shoulders and my canine companion somewhere nearby, my pathway would traverse the state lines of Tennessee and North Carolina, in southern Appalachia, with 14,000+ feet of elevation gain (and even more descent) and include the trail portions still untouched by maintenance crews since the havoc of Hurricane Helene.

Mortality Makes Its Entrance

When colleagues inquired about my weekend birthday plans, I received the predictable responses. It was mostly bewilderment and concerned curiosity. Fortunately, there were also doses of healthy (and appreciated) encouragement.

But the unexpected theme to emerge was an expressed sense that this trek was my abstruse way of giving mortality the middle finger.

I had not previously considered such sentiments. And I did not know what to make of them. As they did not add to the weight of my gear, I stashed them for the trip; I would have plenty of time to consider them along the way.

The Antidote to Mortality Messing with Us

My trek was epic. And more than I bargained for. Along with exhaustion from the relentless inclines, long stretches of the trail were unfindable because of the underbrush and overgrowth. A cavity of yellowjackets nailed us where there was no easy escape. It rained sideways for almost 90 minutes, while enormous drops of rain fell steadily most of Saturday morning. And as if in a bolted enclosure with angry feral cats, thick and unending pockets of greenbrier, blackberry and honey locust continually shredded my legs and arms.

Worst of all, the uncomplicated steps brought a demanding reflection on whether the birthday-fueled journey itself was only an attempted march away from my mortality.

In my book, It’s Not the Bricks, It’s the Mortar: Optimize Your Retail Business for Lasting Success, I share the personal core values I bring to the workplace. I’ll provide an indication of them here, too. I’ll do so because it is through these committed characteristics where I have found the most proven resource for my professional vitality. Simply put, it is these commitments and practices that bring vigor to my days and strength to my leadership. They are, indeed, vital to me – and they produce a vitality for me and my organizations that is supremely beneficial. And as this same word – Vitality – emerged and began to dominate my thoughts on the trail, I discovered its more expansive essence. I’ve now concluded it is the most powerful antidote to any potential paralysis that may befall an organization OR individual with abasing concerns connected to mortality.

Not Just the Capacity for Survival

When you survey the various definitions for this term, there is, of course, tremendous crossover. Words like “energy,” “strength” and “liveliness” are listed as synonyms or included in almost every available definition. But it is beyond these predictable references where we locate the wiring that connects organizational and individual vitality. It is below the formulaic veneer of vitality where we discover valuable, clinical offshoots to this term. When we do, we find this trait is not inherited or inherent, but determinedly and continually developed; we see that it is not just the capacity for survival, but also the continuation of a meaningful existence. It is always an active pursuit and never a given state. Vitality in itself is the “power to grow.”

I came back from my adventure committed to finding characteristics that might buttress the vitality needed for my personal aspirations. I won’t lie: it has been a difficult exploration. I have found in personal matters that there is a tension between some of what I want to do and too much of what I actually do; there is an uneasiness with who I’ve been and who I want to be. And I have only made it harder by attempting a memorable acronym like what I achieved with the core values to which I subscribe professionally… To be certain, this is worthwhile work still in progress.

PASTE Allows Me To Build with Conviction

In my book, it is the acronym PASTE that houses the vitality-producing characteristics that guide my work-related decisions and actions. Without apology, I indicate that “each of the PASTE attributes is a conscious choice made frequently.” I now estimate the same is true with personal vitality. For sure, it is not something to which we innately drift – and it is my hope you’ll join me in a new or recommitted intentionality with your vitality. This is the condition that keeps the ghosts of our known mortality locked away. To get you thinking about the current measures of vitality in your personal or professional existence, here is the published foundation of vitality in my enterprise. Rest assured that when this PASTE cures, retailers and service professionals can build with conviction! Even so, what ingredients do you believe need to be added or substituted in your formula for omnipresent and omnipotent vitality?

P: Powerful Personal Productivity
Leaders are not necessarily the smartest person, most talented resource, or biggest personality in the room, on the team or with the organization. But—they do not get outworked by anyone else. Not for long, anyway. And since everyone gets the same amount of time each day, productivity becomes the metric that becomes the best predictor of results. The most productive leaders get the best results. Equally important in an age of abundant distractions only an arm’s length away, those who are most productive are also those who are the most discerning and intentional with every moment of their day.

A: Accountability
Accountability begins with holding ourselves accountable. It matures from holding ourselves accountable to holding others accountable. Anything less than complete ownership of each element we’ve commissioned threatens the confidence we want (and need) others to have in us and those who surround us. For good reasons, no one confidently follows a leader who cannot be held accountable to herself. The rhythm of leadership suggests we grow increasingly comfortable with our vulnerabilities. And before we know any outcomes, we would be wise to embrace humility. Nonetheless, in a never-ending battle with uncertainty, we must be a leader who quietly tells ourselves—and truly believes—“This is on me.”

S: Service-Centeredness
Contrary to conventional thinking, a leader works for more people inside and outside the organization than anyone else on the Team. Reporting structures and org charts, be damned! The most successful leaders and entrepreneurs in the service industry know full well that they do not actually work for themselves. Instead, they selflessly avail themselves in work that is to the benefit of others. And critically, they are mindful of the ever-gazing eyes of others, knowing their every action will be a cue to the Team. A leader’s duty, after all, is to initiate and sustain an unfailingly exemplary level of service to all constituents.

T: Transparency
The development of productive and ever-improving systems requires a Team focused and interested most in the effort at hand. Leaders must not leave those contributing to such important work to wonder (or worse, worry…) about other organizational factors or personal considerations that are unproductive and distracting. Unending transparency ensures everyone can do their best work by being provided the most accurate and necessary information available. Even better, transparency creates a culture where asking questions and expecting straight answers is validated and encouraged. There is nothing about the organization or the objectives that should be kept from those most closely aligned with the work being performed and the results being pursued.

E: Enthusiasm
Success is not likely to be achieved without struggle; undesirable and highly intimidating challenges simply come with any worthwhile endeavor. In addition, industry veterans know that service to others is not a craft where you can acquiesce to those who dampen a Team’s energy. As such, maintaining genuine enthusiasm for what you are pursuing is mandatory to endure the leadership rollercoaster. Your enthusiasm naturally draws others to you and to the project at hand—and when this happens, it enables opportunities to specify your Mission, provide direction, and effectively communicate with those who will jointly determine the success of your ambitions.

The inconvenient truth with this PASTE is there are no hacks or shortcuts to trim the distance to these conditions or that allow us to let up on the required discipline to maintain them. It is a daily grind with no shortage of possible shortfalls. Fortunately for those who execute this regimen with persistence, there is a useful and suitable reward… VITALITY! And this hardened condition will deftly minimize the number of instances where the organizational Grim Reaper knocks on your door, ready to underscore your mortality.

Build it strong, y’all!

This article was originally shared on the Big Peach’s Substack.