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Our
passion is helping executives increase their leadership effectiveness
to achieve their goals in less time, with greater satisfaction and
a positive impact on the bottom line.
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February,
2006 Welcome
to Leadership Hand™, a monthly e-newsletter To ensure receipt, please white-list our address by adding "Info@" plus our domain name to your e-mail address book. 1. Springing Forth: What Do I Want? It's joyous to watch my clients get clarity about what they want. Joyous because of what it does for the executive or high potential, and because of the impact on those they lead. Clarity allows leaders to be their best--to be more of who they are and, dare I say it, more of who they know themselves to be. Collateral benefits accrue, too--such as increased profits, bigger contracts, or reduced time to market. What allows a leader's best to spring forth? A number of things go into the mix. There's one practice however, that turns experience from what may feel like a stagnating pond or perhaps a building torrent wanting to burst the dam into a powerful, flowing river. It's asking and answering this question: ~ What Do I Want? ~ This question can be tough to answer. Leaders and high potentials--all of us in our Western culture, in fact--are trained to be analytical, to look for what could be better, for what's wrong or missing. Often it's easier to say what we don't want instead of what we do: for example, "I don't want to work for a jerk who never admits he screws-up." Or "I hate how long it takes to get things done around here." Or "I don't want to take any risks in such an unstable market." "Don't want" has high utility for data gathering; it works as a contrast to help us get clear about what we want. The challenge comes when we continue to dwell in that territory. "Don't want" can become a habit of thought and feeling. More uncomfortably still, it can become an easily frequented mood that diminishes not only the quality of life but also the essence of leadership--an essence that so wants to leap and bound! Asking "What Do I Want?" and refining it until the anticipation is palpable enlivens us and allows life to flow. We tap into the energy of possibility. We create and draw our future toward us. This creative energy is vastly different from the energy of "don't want." Our faces glow, our voices resonate, and our breathing changes. When we move into or toward the place that makes our hearts sing, we become unstoppable. After this kind of coaching encounter with clients, I know that the next time we talk, they will be telling me what has easily, with pleasingly curious coincidence, happened toward getting them "What They Want." Now, here's the important part: Asking "What Do I Want" isn't a one-time event. Rather, asking the question must become a habit. It's a simple practice--but not an easy one--because it requires three things:
Easy enough to do when things are going your way. But what if the world is crashing and burning? For example, what if your market share is leaking like a sieve when a competitor's hot new technology was released, or what if you've experienced a personal crisis? It's unrealistic to expect to jump immediately from trauma to joy. My advice? Take
it gently. You may find yourself Enlivened. Springing forth. Flowing. Being more of who you know yourself to be. Is this a place from which you would like to live? I hope so! Here's to knowing--and
getting--What You Want… Beth Hand © Copyright 2007, Beth Hand. Beth Hand, MBA helps leaders increase their effectiveness and satisfaction, now and for the future. She can be reached at (+1) 703.820.8074 or via her website www.leadershiphand.com. 2. Reprint Permission This is a copyrighted publication. You are welcome to reprint an issue on a non-exclusive basis provided you:
3. Subscribe • Privacy Click here to subscribe. To unsubscribe click on the link below. We value your privacy. We never redistribute, rent or sell your information to anyone or any entity. We
invite you to forward this issue to your colleagues! |
sounding
pessimistic or plaintive. That's okay. Just go one degree in the
direction toward what you want to get things moving. At first, it
will be trickle by slow trickle. Soon enough, though, you'll be
flowing smoothly along.|
© Copyright 2006, Hand Associates and Beth Hand • All Rights Reserved Hand
Associates, LLC Leadership
Coaching & Development |
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