Success is Fair Game…When We Lead On-a-Roll.
By Craig Ross and Steven W. Vannoy
Based on concepts in the upcoming book, "Leadership Gold" by Steven W. Vannoy and Craig Ross.
What Comes First?
Consider the possibility that the most powerful leadership tool is not some hot new management technique, the latest process or analytical device, nor something learned at the Harvard School of Business.
Consider the possibility that, in it's simplest terms, the most important tool a leader can master, the most effective way you and I can close the leadership and Wellness Culture gap, is walking into the work place and into our homes in a good mood, on-a-roll.
Imagine a man walking along the beach carrying a blue, tin bucket. He collects and sells seashells. It's his life passion; indeed, he's given his entire life to it. He knows that if he can fill his bucket with priceless shells, he'll be able to live his dream.
As you watch the man, you notice him pick up a shell, examine it, and then place the shell in the bucket. He continues down the beach, but as he does so, you're surprised to see the shell he just found drop from the bottom of the bucket. You're saddened. There's a hole in his bucket, and his life's dream is falling through.
There are those around you and I who have a hole in their bucket. They move through life thinking that if they just had the right job, if they could get the promotion, if they had the perfect spouse or the dream property -- that then they'd be happy. They work hard trying to attract and obtain those things, because as their thinking has it, if they had those "things," then they'd be able to live on a roll - they'll be happy.
It's a nasty joke that they play on themselves. You already know that as they collect those things, it doesn't make them any happier. You already know that being on a roll comes first -- before you can get the promotion, the perfect spouse, and the dream property. You already know that, in the workplace, companies don't create results and then job satisfaction goes up. Job satisfaction comes first.
Consider the possibility that we won't obtain what we desire until we live on a roll.
Success is Fair Game
This means that success is fair game. Contrary to the messages of society, success is not reserved for the most intelligent, the wealthy, or the most skilled. We all know plenty of people who bring these qualities and more to the table, yet they flounder. D. Goleman, in his work with Emotional Intelligence, makes it clear: the most important drivers to success are emotional intelligence elements such as living on a roll. Our clients have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that operating on a roll is the most important cause of success.
Here is the first of four initial steps that have assisted our clients to change life-long habits so they can live on a roll more consistently.
'Requisites for a Roll'
#1 - Flexing Your Awareness Muscle
Each time you:
- Pause and consider your response to a situation,
- Remember that you have a choice in living on a roll or not,
- And each time you assess your response to a past decision,
you are flexing your awareness muscle.
"All the tools we have won't do us any good if we can't call on them. Awareness, I believe, is the word." Tiffin Griffin, Heska Corporation
You probably also know that there are millions around us who are in their infancy in developing and flexing this awareness muscle. These are people who go through life numbed-out, unaware that they have a choice. They are people who don't consciously choose new behaviors and use tools to live on a roll and therefore, by default are choosing to live off a roll. Proof? How often have you ever heard someone say, "Oh crud, it's going to be another one of those days"?
Top Thirteen Indicators Your Awareness Muscle is Flabby
- Accept that your numb-out, zombie state is 'normal.'
- Utter frequently, "Ah, #$&*!, it's just going to be one of those days."
- Actively search for evidence that things are not going well.
- Search for evidence that your boss and peers are losers.
- Work overtime attempting to save your butt while fixating blame on others.
- Mentally kick yourself all the way home for all the stupid things you did today.
- Wish that things were different than they are.
- Unfavorably compare yourself to others.
- Be convinced that the circumstances in your life are bigger than you.
- Approach projects with an 'I've gotta get mine' attitude.
- Feel sorry for yourself.
- Keep a list of everything you haven't gotten done.
- Short-change yourself on sleep, good food and exercise.
That there are others operating this way means only one thing: not that they change, but that we become even more effective in closing our leadership gap - so we can live more on-a-roll.
Like any muscle, when our Awareness Muscle gets used, it grows. And as it grows, so does our ability to live more consistently on a roll and to live out of our principles and values.
Let's flex our muscle.
Next month we'll be sharing another step that will help get you and keep you on a roll.
(c) 2003 Pathways to Leadership, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
