Imagine if you will an elegant house built on a shaky foundation. I mean you have to imagine because building regulations are so strict these days there’s no room for error so use every ounce of your imagination to create a picture in your mind of a house on shaky foundations.
The foundations are designed to give stability and alignment to the building, giving it a strength to tackle strong winds, ground tremors and hold the bricks, iron, wood and everything else that sits above.
Shaky foundations make for uncertainty, instability and misalignment and these are very bad when we consider the potential outcomes in strong winds, ground tremors and all the other materials resting above.
The house may stay up for a long time but the uncertainty puts people off from investing and trusting in it meaning people will walk away from it even though it looks amazing on the outside.
OK, you can imagine a house with very solid, aligned foundations now. My mind is getting tired worrying about that house with shaky foundations!
This analogy can also describe a leader.
A great leader will be aligned and have a solid foundation and it’s this concept I wish to share with you.
To create a solid and aligned foundation there are four areas of awareness to consider…
Firstly they must consider their mental awareness of their own happiness. If they are unhappy in an aspect of their life or indeed their job, leading will prove difficult, not just for themselves but others.
Secondly they consider their emotional awareness and how focused they are in other people, tasks and ability to understand the culture around them.
Thirdly to help their alignment, they consider their physical health. Being overweight for example brings it’s own set of problems to the table. An injury can also be a distraction and a cause for concern.
Lastly and most importantly they consider the spiritual side of their being and ask themselves why do they do what they do?
If you’re doing something you dislike then why are you doing it? What is the reason behind you doing what you’re doing and is that reason in alignment with your values and beliefs. For example, a cat owner wouldn’t do well in a dog parlour, a restaurant manager wouldn’t do well in a gym and a solicitor wouldn’t do well in a financial institute.
A couple of years ago I was working for a large National company as a Training and Development Consultant and a new CEO was brought in to turn things around. He had an army background and presented himself as knowledgeable and eager.
He lasted 6 months!
Was he connected with the role, did he get found out as a fake, was he out of his depth?
One thing for sure was he kept himself to himself and didn’t really listen to others. He made sure others knew he was in charge and I feel this isolation was a large part of him being moved along.
Finding the reason why you do what you do can be like unlocking the magical secret to success.
But what if you could really connect with your job? What if you felt energised and rearing to go and give your all? How much better would you feel, behave and enjoy life when your values and beliefs are in alignment with what you do?
If you’re in a leadership role I’d like you to ask yourself one question. “Why do I do what I do?”
Then attempt to answer it as openly and as honestly as you can.
From your answer ask yourself is what you do in line with your values and beliefs and the culture in which you find yourself? Again be honest.
This exercise of emotional intelligence helps people connect with themselves and helps them make decisions that are right for them; after all life needs to be cherished and enjoyed and that comes with being true to who you are.
And when you are true to who you are, those whom you seek to lead will connect with you and put their trust in you and when that happens, you can make the magic happen!
If you’d like help in answering the questions, please connect and ask for my help because I have a goal to help as many leaders as possible help themselves so they may help others.