5 Gears: How to Be Present and Productive When There Is Never Enough Time

15What Is Your Story?

The 5 Gears is a simple metaphor that happens to be sticky, scalable, and life changing. One executive recently said, “When I first heard the gears I thought it was hokey, until it hit my reality and then they changed everything.” The 5 Gears affect leaders, families, and teams, which impacts organizations and communities. We have a tool to help us when we are out of alignment and stuck in a certain gear, and now we have language that helps us transition to the right gear for the right time. The power of the 5 Gears resides in your buy-in, implementation, and ability to teach it to others.

This book is full of stories of leaders who have given us permission to share their experiences over the past few years. We know, however, that there are thousands of future stories that are yet to be written. For those of you who struggle with work/life balance, the 5 Gears are a solution. For those who have a hard time connecting with people, the stories and concepts can bring a change that is phenomenal. And for those of you who are missing your children right now because you are all-consumed by your work or responsibility, there is hope. We have struggled with these same issues. We get it. Our stories are so similar to most of yours. We are all trying to learn how to live and lead in a world full of tasks, deadlines, poor communication, expectations, busyness, and relationships. Stories help shape our reality, help to give us hope, and lead us to practical examples ...