Are you holding back at what you do, or yearn to become? Do you know that you have, right now, within you all of the resources that are necessary to ‘play big’ and become a high performing leader, at whatever it is you have a true passion for? Do you know that?
That great leader Nelson Mandela put it quite brilliantly when he said:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.”
It’s your choice.
MAKE A DECISION
Being a leader is a decision, not a position. In our work as coaches and consultants, we challenge people to step up to the plate and become all that they want to become, to make that decision to become a high performing leader at whatever it is they do or want to do.
Are you ready to make that decision?
What would it take to make it?
We tell our clients that a decision is a choice between options. Not making that choice is what I would call ‘aimless wandering’, which many people in organizations have defaulted to, without even knowing it.
So what are your options? Here are some that might just apply in your case…modify them as you see fit, then make a decision:
- ‘I can keep doing what I am doing and getting what I’m getting’
- ‘I can set a new lofty goal for myself that will fire me up, get me out of bed in the mornings and (sometimes) keep me awake at night (for the right reasons)’
- ‘I can coast…being neither ‘powerful beyond measure’ nor ‘powerless beyond description”
- ‘I can ignore this article, having read it and judged it as the ramblings of someone who is out of touch with reality’
It’s your choice.
MAKE IT PERSONAL
Sometimes the decision is a simple one, sometimes not. But it is always a deeply personal one. What do you want to achieve? What do you want to have? Who do you want to become?
It’s about you, the impact you want to have on the world and what you expect to receive in return. On that last point, there is nothing ethically wrong with expecting abundance in return for what you do. All of the great philosophers and spiritual thinkers bear this out.
It’s your choice.
TAKE ACTION
Are you waiting for outside inspiration? Forget it. Inspiration has to come from within. (Hint: That’s why it starts with the letters ‘in’.)
Having said that, you can get help in digging deep within you to find your answers.
In that regard, here are seven trigger questions, in no particular order, which may help you find your passion:
- What social condition within your neighborhood, community or the world at large needs improving?
- What’s wrong within organizations that needs fixing? (Make a list by starting with your own organization)
- What political issues need an advocate?
- What injustice(s) exist in the world that need attention?
- How can you help the next generation do better than this one?
- How can you help other people lead joyous and fulfilling lives?
- How can you help your industry or profession achieve its full potential?
It’s your choice.
STILL NOT SURE?
Some people we meet have great trouble knowing what it is they want to do, have, become. They seem to be always waiting for a ‘sign’ before making a decision, or as comedian Woody Allen put it:
“If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name at a Swiss bank.”
The secret to success as a high performance leader is to take action, starting with a decision to PLAY BIG.
It’s your choice.
And remember, as Nelson Mandela said “Your playing small doesn’t serve the world”
Brian Ward is a Principal in Affinity Consulting. He works with senior and middle management and their teams to improve performance. His website is at http://www.affinitymc.com where you can sign up for his free monthly ezine Strategy in Action
brianward@affinitymc.com
