As I have said before, the essential purpose of leadership is to create.   The fundamental tool of creation for a leader is their vision for the market place as well as the vision they hold for their organizational culture.  As a creator the leader takes 100% accountability for the outcome of the vision and for everything that happens around them.  Now please allow me to distinguish between taking 100% accountability with 100% responsibility.  They are quite different.

Taking 100% responsibility or placing everything on your shoulders and taking on all the stress around the success or failure of the business is not the point.   The point owning the vision and holding the expectancy it will unfold.  If a leader has developed a compelling vision and has done a great job of instilling this vision into their people – while mistakes will happen – in the end the vision will become reality.  Yet, if the leader begins to complain about how the market place is behaving, the problems with the economy, or begins to blame low performers for all the woos in the business – they are missing the point of being a leader as well as the power of vision.

If the market is not responding – a true leader does not blame the market.  They collect the best minds and ask what do we have to do to engage the market more effectively so people get who we are and want to do business with us?   If the economy is tanking and business is off – the true leader takes responsibility by examining with his top people the model they are using to develop business and will shift their approach to succeed or do better than they have in the tough economy.  If there is an issue with low performance – a true leader coaches the boss of that direct report to get to the bottom of it or they themselves explore what the issue is.   If there is not a fit – they let the person go.  If it is a coaching issue they work towards a new commitment with that employee to engage at a higher level and make sure that there will be rewards if they do and consequences if they do not.

The fundamental key here is making sure your people are enrolled in the vision and know their part in fulfilling it.  If the vision has come alive – the true leader knows with certainty it is only a matter of time before things line up.  They embrace the responsibility for creating an environment that is brutally honest about what the challenges are while also inspiring others to reach further to fulfill the mission and key priorities.

True leaders also expect their best people to take on their responsibility for their part of the vision and to be accountable for their results.  If they can not do this and not aligned with the organization’s mission and vision then they are in the wrong place and it is best to move on.  Yet, if the leader begins to complain about their performance with out proper feedback and coaching – then it is as much or more the leader’s limitations that are the reason for less than acceptable outcomes. Ultimately, the leader declares the destination, sets the course and is very clear about their expectations.  They want their people to take risks and failure is an option as long as everyone is learning and leveraging lessons learned to achieve the results and improve performance.

If you are reading this you are likely a successful executive or emerging leader.  The question is  who is managing your long term career aspirations?  The knee jerk reaction might be “well I am.”  Yet, I suggest you answer a few questions – honestly – to make sure:

• Have you discovered your underlying purpose for work or why you show up every day to work?
• Given that purpose – have you connected passionately to what the highest expression of that purpose would be?
• Do you feel a sense of independence from your organization, boss or senior executives as far as directing your career?
• Are you free from the idea that “I must pay my dues before I am in the position to set my course?”

If you answered a resounding yes to each of those questions – congratulations.  You are most likely in full charge of your destiny.  If you answered no to one or more of these you may be cheating yourself and your organization from your best efforts.  When I ask my clients to face these questions and I confront them on any of the questions they answer no to – I usually get a miffed look at first.  They may say “but I am reliant on my organization to direct me – they know the best place and my job is to follow their lead.”   When I ask why that is – the answers get more interesting.  Typical answers are:

• Well if I was too forceful with where I felt I fit and would be most satisfied – my job might be in jeopardy
• I really never thought about what I wanted and really don’t have an answer to what I want.
• Well I know what I really want but am afraid if I go for it I will not be able to support my family and lifestyle.

Yet, in my experience when people understand their purpose, passionately hold a vision for the impact they would like to have, and set a course to unfold that – not only are they happier – they perform at a much higher level.  Also, it is rare that if I am talking to a technical person that they want to become Picasso.   While there are some cases when a person realizes they must make a major change – in most cases they are in their sweet spot yet have an underlying desire to shift their focus a bit and usually in a way that adds value to the organization they are with. And yes – it can be a challenge to influence the powers to be to support a person in changing direction.  Yet, again, in most every case where a person has stuck to their guns – both the individual and organization benefit.

The bottom line is – life is too short to allow others to dictate your life and that includes your career!  After all we spend over 2000 hours each year working which equates to almost a quarter of our total time!  I believe doing what you love and loving what you do is a birthright and we are at a time in history when we truly have the power of choice.   So ask yourself – on a scale from 1 to 10 how fulfilled am I really every day at work?  If you are below an 8 – I would take a serious look at the questions above and if you do not like your answers I suggest you spend the time to take your career back!

Believe it or not I get this question a lot!  It actually amazes me.  Quite frankly, passion has EVERYTHING to do with it.  Yes, it takes intelligence, drive, and a focus on results to succeed.  Yet, what is the fuel that drives all of this? It is passion or even more candidly – love for what you do and why you do it.  Anyone who has ever created something of value is driven from passion/love around what they do.  Whether it is passion for an idea, acknowledgment, making a difference, wealth, etc. – passion is passion!

Again, many resonate with this idea of passion but then ask but is there a return on investment from engaging it – is it not better for me to focus on my business model?   Well first there is a huge return on investment that comes from fully engaging your passion because the more you are connected to it the more bandwidth you have to succeed.   The more you are connected to it – the bigger your ideas, the better you will apply your business model, the more opportunities you attract and the more courage you will have to break through barriers that will stop most people.

Now the caveat is – at first – really connecting to your passion can be scary because the more traditional approach in business is to mute our passion.  When my clients first unveil their passion – they can become concerned it is too out there or unrealistic.  Yet, in every case – yes EVERY CASE – when my clients or anyone I know decides to live from this place – they experience far more success, freedom and fulfillment as well as far less stress and struggle.

My guess is if you have read this far – that this all resonates.  You may be secretively living from this place or feel a sense of power when you think about working and living from this place.  I also think this is not new news.  Many speakers and coaches talk about engaging your passion but how do you discover what it is?  In my next entry I will give you the fundamental questions and practices you need to do to fully engage your passion on a daily basis.  Come back in two days and the exercise will be posted.

Take Your First Step Toward True Evolution of Your Impact!

Ever wonder why you repeat the same negative thoughts in your head? Why you keep coming back for more from hurtful family members, friends, or significant others? Why you keep falling into the same detrimental habits or limiting attitudes—even when you know that they are going to make you feel bad?

Dr. Joe Dispenza has spent decades studying the human mind—how it works, how it stores information, and why it perpetuates the same behavioral patterns over and over. In the acclaimed film What the Bleep Do We Know!? he began to explain how the brain evolves—by learning new skills, developing the ability to concentrate in the midst of chaos, and even healing the body and the psyche. (more…)

Two of my favorite Albert Einstein Quotes are as follows:

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.”

At first take – it does not appear these two quotes are related but they very much are!   For example, we are at a time of year when millions are inspired to set big goals both personally and professionally that they feel will lead them to a happier and more successful life experience.   Unfortunately, by the time February ends – many of our resolutions and the hope we felt will be a distant memory.   Why is this?  It is because the New Year generates a mood of hope in many.  It is an opportunity to make a fresh beginning!  Those making resolutions are tapping into this hope yet over days and weeks that follow the hope – we get hit by the tyrant of the urgent and our grand ideas shaped at the new year no longer seem “realistic”  in the face our “reality.” As Mr. Einstein says, insanity is doing the same thing over and over – expecting different results!

Now, I am all for setting goals and big ones!   In fact, as human beings we are quite goal directed and we accomplish many things effortlessly because of our unique gifts that others find amazing.  That being said, we do not apply the underlying principles that allow for success in one area of life in other areas where we are frustrated with!   One of these powers is our imagination.  Imagination is the foundation of vision, of great athletic accomplishment, and of great breakthroughs in our life and businesses. Most Goal Setting Approaches Do Not Take Into Account The True Human Powers That Allow Goal Setting to Be More Effective!

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