Left or Right?

What exactly do the modern-day knowledge workers do to achieve significant success? The results of a recent 7-year, 197,000-person, 23-country study by Innermetrix give us some of the answer. Simply put, the most successful people in the new economy recognize three core facts about themselves:

•   Their value to the organization has shifted from their physical ability to do, to their mental ability to think.

•   While they can change how they manually do things, they cannot change their natural thinking and decision-making styles.

•   Instead of fixing themselves to conform to the one best way, they make the role conform to their own best way.

The simple concept below illustrates how the most successful people in today’s economy think very differently about themselves and their path.

There are four universal steps that everyone goes through in any role:

•   Step 1 – Accept the role.

•   Step 2 – Get to know the role better and determine what that role really requires for success.

•   Step 3 – Inevitably, identify gaps between what the role requires and what you can provide (talents, knowledge, skills, etc.).

•   Step 4 – Attempt to close those gaps (either by changing yourself, or changing the role).

Step #4 is the crucial difference. It is where the difference between old and new beliefs lies. The old belief is that the role is fixed and to improve requires turning left to focus on fixing oneself (i.e. change your natural thinking style).

Today's successful revolutionists, however, do the exact opposite. They don’t assume they need to change themselves to better fit the role they have. Instead they turn right and focus on fixing the role to better fit them instead.

Will you turn left to try and modify yourself /

or will you turn right to modify the role?

•   Marshall Goldsmith, a famous executive coach and revolutionist, provides a great example of turning right, when he says, “I constantly try to refine the strengths I have, but that doesn’t mean I try to develop things I don’t already have. The key is to have your role depend primarily on what you already naturally do well.”

•   Famed management guru, Peter Drucker, used to counsel leaders to help their people turn right when he said, "Make your people's weaknesses irrelevant." He didn't say fix the person; he said change the role so the weakness doesn't matter because it isn't required.

Get the point?

So, the question to you is:

Do you want to spend your life trying to fix your weaknesses and fitting their one best way / or would you rather do it your way,

authentically, in your own best way, with passion, satisfaction, happiness and results that surprise you?

If you choose the latter route, it won’t happen by waiting for management to do it for you. Like all revolutions, this one must also take place in your mind and heart first. YOU have to create your own private revolution – because no one else is going to do it for you!

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Surya M Ganduri, PhD. PMP. is the founder and president of eMBC, Inc., a national firm specializing in strategic and executive leadership development processes that Help People Succeed in an Evolving World. His company is affiliated with Resource Associates Corporation, a network of 600+ associates that are dedicated to helping organizations and individuals manage strategic change, innovation, cultural transition, and goal achievement. Surya has over 26 years of business experience in management consulting, leadership development, executive coaching, process improvements, organizational development and youth leadership. Contact Surya at s6ganduri@eMBCinc.com. For more information visit www.eMBCinc.com or contact eMBC, Inc., directly at (630) 445-1321.