The economic turbulence of today is not the whole
picture. It is just one part of a far greater
‘sea change’ that we are experiencing on a global scale. And this time of transformation brings with
it incredible opportunities for those who are ready to take the leap.
As shown in this Business Week article, We have moved into times where the old rules don’t work
anymore. In the ‘old world’ of business,
you weren’t supported to be authentic.
You were often supposed to put on masks that hid your true face and
feelings, and play your role.
Look at the auto industry. The old ‘role’ was that union and
management were supposed to be at loggerheads, never working hand-in-hand. Each viewed the other as their opponent. Today, they’re working hand-in-hand in a way
they never would have imagined a few short months ago. There is no time for playing the old
roles. This is a new ball-game, and if
you play by the old rules, you’re toast.
At times of radical social evolutionary change like this,
society goes through what’s called bifurcation.
Simply put, two modes of being/thinking/doing come into being. One, often the ‘old way’, leads to
extinction. The other leads to a new
social order.
What’s scary to many people is that, while the world has
changed under us, nobody really knows the new rules. And what we’re learning is that, in this
brave new world, there’s no time for the old rules, for the masks we wore, for
all the rhetoric that passed for communication.
All those things that supported success in the old world will now lead
to our downfall. In a way, we’re left
naked and vulnerable with no clear sense of what to do and where to go.
And that’s the opportunity.
I firmly believe that this time is an opportunity for us to
shed our old roles, our old masks, our old hyperbole, and step forward as who
we authentically are to work with others to co-discover the way forward.
The good news is that this is not an entirely new way
forward. Even in the old world, there
were, of course, authentic individuals and organizations that allowed people to
be authentic in their work. And those
organizations started with one or a few individuals who modeled the way.
And that’s where it begins.
Authentic leadership starts from within.
Only by mastering personal leadership can you realize your full
potential as a leader.
How well do you know yourself? What are the core values that drive and motivate
you? What are your priorities, in each
aspect of your life (social, physical, spiritual and intellectual, as well as
career and financial/material goals)?
What is your personal vision for all of your life?
Only by knowing yourself, and understanding your personal
vision, values and priorities can you connect those to what you do in the
outside world. And only by knowing
yourself can you tap your internal compass to make the right decisions for you in this fast-changing world. And it is this mastery that will build your
resistance if ka-ka comes your way.
The knee jerk reaction to the economy – as well as to the
deeper, broader sea change we are experiencing – is to recoil in fear and
hunker down. And that leads only to a
downward spiral.
This is the time for courage. This is the time to step forward and master
your personal leadership – to deepen your understanding of your authentic self.
Are you ready to step forward?