The first step toward change for change sake is that an awareness is needed. The second step is an acceptance of this current state of awareness. Both may be hard to implement because of a fear of being honest to the environment. Third step is to develop a plan or to review a current plan for self-investment, make adjustments and execute the plan. Setting up an accountability with another person to ensure progress is made is important. It does require a level of trust, commitment and standing true to what is needed to be accomplished on both sides.
Awareness – John C. Maxwell defines The Law of Awareness as “You Must Know Yourself to Grow Yourself”.
Taking state of where one is at this time is all important. Tomorrow is also important but deal with it once you are there. Remain in the present. Look at yourself with an open mind. Who do you see yourself as? Look in the mirror, who do others seem you as? Are they the same? This requires deep level of reflection, a quiet space, and positive reinforcement. No one will get harmed by the process. Don’t fear or negatively critique oneself. What has occurred has indeed occurred. It is a lesson to learn. If one doesn’t learn the lesson and work to avoid it in the future, it will be a failure and will repeat itself in that person’s life.
Two percent of the people think; three percent of the people think they think; and ninety-five percent of the people would rather die than think.
– George Bernard Shaw
Does the business leader really know himself or herself or their team as well as they should? Not knowing this results in being unfocused in growth. Leading a team requires being aware of the team’s state of awareness and then accepting it. Strive then to take a step to change the direction to bring it in alignment with the goal.
I am reminded of a time where I was promoted to assume responsibility of the team in my banking career. It was my first assignment. I began my “term” very much as a positional leader, step one on the 5 levels of leadership. I was given the authority. It was not very successful at first. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I did not connect with each team member first. I assumed that each would fall in line with what I thought were the common goals held up to the point I was promoted. “Stay the course.” The team didn’t know if the same goals were in place with the change in management.
The team wanted a change in the status quo. I had not invested in understanding who I was and who the team was. Were our committed visions the same? No, I found out. Once I realized, who I was, in service to the team, I connected more effectively with the team. I started to grow as a leader, building myself in the process to serve.
We live in an age disturbed, confused, bewildered, afraid of its own forces, in search not merely of its road but even of its direction. There are many voices of counsel, but few voices of vision; there is much excitement and feverish activity, but little concert of thoughtful purpose. We are distressed by our ungoverned, undirected energies and do many things, but nothing long. It is our duty to find ourselves.
– future American President Woodrow Wilson
While what Wilson said was in 1907, it is still speaks us to 2016. Attention wanes in the face of distractions. Noise precludes growth. Noise precludes awareness and may direct us to regress in our awareness level.
John C. Maxwell, the number one transformational leadership statesman of our time, notes that knowing oneself allows a person to grow toward their potential. A person though needs to grow in order to know who you are.
Every person has within them the wiring system for growing to our potential. We have the creative power to make it so.
(picture from Gregor Reisch, 1512. Margarita philosophica nova cui insunt sequentia)
Like in building a house, a strong foundation is needed. Over time, the foundation degrades due to internal and external factors. Raise the house to attend to the crumbling foundation. Rip it out. Stop accepting the model that you are not in charge of you. Build a new behavior. Pour in a new foundation, a stronger foundation that will support you in the time to come. Then help a neighbor attend to his or hers.
Leaders look at criteria to assess if their desire matches their abilities. If not, either change the desire to one that matches the abilities or to bring alongside others to work together with a form of strength to accomplish the dream.
Dr. Henry Cloud asserts that leaders are ridiculously in charge and will always get a combination of what a leader creates and what a leader allows. Does the leader in a business team, family team, community team remain aware of what is occurring in the team?
If, as Socrates said, the unexamined life is not worth living, so the unlived life is worth examining. – Philosopher Abraham Kaplan
By nature you are subject to the 6 basic fears, according to Napoleon Hill, author of the heavily accessed book, Think and Grow Rich:
- The fear of poverty
- The fear of criticism
- The fear of ill health
- The fear of loss of love/of someone
- The fear of old age
- The fear of death
Fear is a future expectation of being ‘worse off’ than you are at present. Each fear hides in the subconscious, making it difficult to uncover and deal with them. Each fear has a specific focus. To stand up to these gremlins, take great strength and resolve. Not only do they play out in our lives, these play out in our teams, our businesses as we bring these fears with us.
Who are the people being let in and influencing your life? I remember after about two years in my first job, my family wondered if I would ever amount to much. The job paid barely above minimum wage; it was just a dime (10 cents) more than the minimum. My raises were because the minimum wage was raised. [Think back to wage rates in 1978-79 – $2.65 increased to $2.90.] I was doing what I was expected, hold a job. Negative reinforcement from earlier in my development kept me from thinking there were jobs that I was qualified to do that paid more and would result in a higher pay track. This played out in my high school and college classes, holding me back from taking charge of my direction, not taking advantage of more advanced classes and not seeking immediately a more rewarding feeling of accomplishment. I went with what I was told; the prescribed program path. Do these classes, pass them, graduate. I shied away from the then burgeoning computer science classes.
Interrupt the power of this thinking and you will affect the subconscious. As Carl Jung noted: “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
Do the thing and you will have the power. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
3 Keys to Knowing Yourself
- Control your emotions to maintain clarity of the assessment
- Be motivated to continue toward your goals despite obstacles that look to distract your gaze
- Be in service to the others who walk or work alongside you on your journey to be mindful of their feelings
James Russell Lowell noted: No one can produce great things who is not thoroughly sincere in dealing with himself.
About the Author
Joe Dutkiewicz’s story is an amazing journey of personal and professional growth. He began his career in customer service functions in banking and in light manufacturing assignments. He grew himself into upper management recommending strategies to senior management and the board of directors. and leading by growing others in non-profit educational and service organizations. Along the way Joe found a passion with working with rising leaders to walk along with them equipping them for their journey to reach their potential. Joe continues to be a student of leadership, developing himself to be able to help others. He understands that everything rises and falls on leadership and influence is necessary to go to others and bring them along to accomplish change in one’s world.
Joe’s experience as a John Maxwell Team Certified Leadership Coach, Teacher, and Speaker includes an international training event in Guatemala with John as part of the Cultural Transformation in Guatemala where more than 20,000 Guatemalan leaders were trained.
Joe is passionately intrigued to hear people’s stories of transformation and seeks to with those wishing to seek a better instance of themselves. Joe is an active listener and deep thinker, reflects daily to grow and brings the complex to simpler terms. Seeing significance at a pinnacle in his life in Guatemala, Joe seeks to further lift others so they may see significance in their lives. Joe offers individual coaching, seminars, workshops customized to the needs of those attending to immediately put to work the teachings in their lives. Significance felt returns the person to passionately repeat as many times as possible in life.
Engage Joe for onsite or offsite Professional Leadership Development and Coaching, Empowerment Mentoring, Amp Up Your Prosperity, and Success Blueprint Programs. Joe may be reached at at (920) 883-0524 or joe@crayonleadership.com
Crayon Leadership LLC Programs: http://www.crayonleadership.com
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Empowerment Mentoring Programs: http://www.empowermentmentoring.com/joedutkiewicz
