Will the Real YOU Please Stand Up?

In a previous post, I shared that January is "Reach Your Potential" month.  Well, how are we doing so far? 

Part of the challenge of reaching our fullest potential is to uncover who we really are- our authentic self– and then live that life.  I call all of that uncovering our "personal excavation work".  Just like using a great big backhoe in a rock quarry, we need to dig deep into our internal bedrock to discover who we are, what we believe and how to behave to create what we want.

Now, instead of a backhoe messing up your living room, you can use some other tools for your personal excavation work.  A tool that I love to use with my clients to help them  move closer to becoming their authentic selves is to have them tell "their story".

Telling "their story" can be done on paper or by talking it through.  The purpose is to identify their own pieces of the authenticity puzzle. Is there one major theme in their story?  What are the high points of their story?  What are the lessons to others from their story?  Is there a new part to the story that they want to add; to create?  Are their behaviors aligned with the story? 

After we do our personal excavation work, the task then becomes living in congruence, every minute of every day, with what we know to be true.  Living our authentic life- our real life.  Getting closer to that potential we are trying to reach.

It is oh, so juicy and satisfying!


Trust- Do You Have It?

Speed_of_trust_2  Talk about transformational leadership!  I am attending the 9th International Business and Consciousness Conference this week in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  I was so impressed with the message delivered by Stephen M.R. Covey discussing his book and philosophy, The Speed of Trust. I read the book when it was first published. Its message was highly evocative. I loved it then.  But hearing Stephen explain the nuances really made it come alive.  I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat silently screaming, "Yes, this is what we are missing!"  My inner fire to help people in all types of organizations was rekindled.  What a life changing experience.

One of my biggest takeaways from the sessions that I attended with Stephen is that organizations and institutions today are facing a growing crisis. From the work I do within teams, and in working with individuals, I see and hear the stories of non-trust all of the time.  Consider these statistics:

  • Only 51% of employees have trust and confidence in senior management
  • Only 36% of employees believe their leaders act with honesty and integrity
  • Over the past 12 months, 76% of employees have observed illegal or unethical conduct on the job—conduct which, if exposed, would seriously violate the public trust
  • The number one reason employees leave their jobs is a negative relationship with their boss

Startling, isn’t it?

This begs the question, what do we do to turn this around? The answer is simple but not easy- we need to be trustworthy in everything that we do.  And , Covey advises, in all of our interactions we need to practice not a blind, gullible trust, but a smart trust. 

Stephen ended his life-transforming presentation by showing the audience the positive economic impact that operating with trust has.  And, here is the biggie, competency in trust behaviors can be taught and learned by everyone.  There is hope that our corporate consciousness, and our society, can be turned around! 

This is incredible stuff.  Challenge yourself to operate in a trustworthy, truthful way today in all situations. You will be glad that you did.  Being credible and trustworthy will help you lead well, live well and do well.


Touchstones_in_net_2 Touchstone Tuesday

We all have "touchstones" in our lives- those ideas, concepts, beliefs and values that we use to measure the authenticity of new ideas, concepts, beliefs and values which come into our awareness.

As a consultant and coach, my primary job is to help people build their capacity to identify what it is they believe, how their beliefs affect their actions, and how those actions impact their results.  Put another way, I help people look at what they want, determining what it will take to get what they want, then identify and deal with beliefs and obstacles that stand in the way.

I developed Touchstone Tuesday to help you, gentle reader, ponder a weekly question that will move you closer to finding your own personal touchstone. And, guess what, there are no "right" answers to these questions.  Just your intuitive sense of things.  So grab another cup of coffee, sit back at your desk, put your feet up and ponder this touchstone question with me for awhile. Here’s to your quest for authentic results.

Has something that you resisted ever ended up being for the best?

Photo by CashKate on Flickr


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