P to the Power of Infinity™
5th Installment of our Self-Coaching Process
Blueprint for real transformation and success for individual employees/executives, teams and organizations
STEP 1: PERMISSION, THE FIRST P
Beyond taking care of people, the Foundational P, we move forward into the 12 P’s we’re focusing on in this Process. But before we cover the very first P, Permission, let me quickly touch on a very important P that leaders need to avoid like the plague: Politics!
I was speaking with someone a few months ago, who was being fired from a job that she’s had for almost 20 years. Her boss had hired me to support her in becoming more of a leader, with certain leadership qualities, so that she could be promoted to a more senior role. She already had a regional role and was capable of a global position. What I found disturbing was that her boss did not give her the trust and respect that she deserved as a top execuitive in his team, especially when he appeared to want to groom her for a much higher position. It seems as if he was merely playing politics, was not genuinely wanting to promote her and would have moved her sideways, at best, only if she played ball with him.
I can only say how crucial it is for leaders to be of the highest integrity. If they only know how to be political and pretend to be supportive, while still being of the outmoded command-and-control regime at heart, it will affect the organization like a cancerous tumour can affect the physical body. Values such as integrity, honesty, openness, transparency and excellent communication must prevail at some depth, way beyond simply paying lip service to these words.
Only leaders who have a high level of self awareness can and know how to be there for the leaders in their own teams. Otherwise, they will not be able to get past their own blind spots, the flaws in their own personalities, to truly be there for their team members, supporting them to be great leaders who will in turn positively impact the organization.
Now for the Principle of Permission or Allowing, which can bring great success to individuals, a team and an entire organization, if properly understood and fully utilized.
To begin with, have in mind what it is that you would like to achieve right now, for yourself and/or your team/organization. Then, look at what blocks there are within you and/or your team/organization that might stop you from realizing your goals/objectives. Address this at a deep level, not merely note down what the obvious blocks are.
Very often, we want to have success in a certain area or in all areas but we don’t allow ourselves to have it. At this stage, you don’t have to be concerned about how to remove or clear these blocks, just to be aware of what would prevent you and/or your team/organization from realizing your dreams/vision/mission.
Just ask yourself or everyone involved:
1. Are these blocks emotional, psychological, physical, financial, actual, imaginary, potential or probable?
2. What is the nature of these blocks? Write the minute details down for yourself or articulate them with your team.
3. Are you and/or your team/organization willing to do everything possible to remove these blocks? If not, why not? If yes, to what extent is the individual and/or group commitment?
4. Are you and/or your team/organization ready to have the success you want to have regarding the issue/goal/objectives/challenge at hand?
It might seem silly to ask this last question or to talk about not allowing ourselves to have the success we want but it is not. People may want something, even want it badly at times; yet, psychologically or emotionally, there are underlying issues that stop them from materializing what they want. This stems from the so-called shadow side of human beings, the part that sabotages us instead of allowing ourselves to go full speed ahead towards what we desire. Remember, it’s about leading yourself and your team/organization in synchrony towards the fruition of desired results.
So, beginning with giving yourself and/or your team/organization the permission to succeed is not just important but crucial. It has to be the very first step to move towards success of any kind.
We help individuals and teams/organizations go through this step of removing blocks and arriving at a wholehearted readiness to succeed! It is a process that increases the awareness and knowledge of oneself and others involved, which in turn leads to some of the other P’s including power, passion and profit.
Spend the next few days thinking about the reluctance or resistance you yourself might have in a particular area of your life, personal or directly related to work, just to give yourself practice with honest introspection and objective examination. Don’t just do it from a logical point of view. Dig deeper. Spend quiet time on your own, preferably in nature. Get used to this approach. If we keep doing the same things in the same way, we are going to get the same results. If you genuinely want change, want vast improvement, want to evolve, to step up to higher levels of being and operating, I challenge you to break your current patterns of functioning!
Without fail, when people have enough quiet time on their own to contemplate; when their minds are not racing at a thousand miles/kilometres per hour, worrying, plotting, arguing; when there is enough silence and stillness, their innate wisdom comes to the surface. And voila, the truth emerges. Solutions and ideas arise! Start with one thing, one small part of your life, personal life or work life. Pick anything, perhaps to do with Step 1 or even something totally unrelated. Get a kick out of having success with this in some small measure. Then, develop a habit out of doing this for all parts of your personal and work life, all issues and challenges. And have fun with it!
It’s all meant for us to S-T-R-E-T-C-H and grow!! If you like, let me know what happens, what your experiences are!