Simon has been identified as a “high potential” in the company. However, if he is to succeed he needs help. During a recent project update Simon said to Tim, his boss, “I don’t know what the **** I’m doing.”
“What did you do with that statement?” I asked Tim.
“I let it slide.”
When I asked Tim to explore why he didn’t engage Simon, at the time, he acknowledged it was due to his “task focus” and “time pressure.” The continued success of both Tim and Simon depends on changing self-limiting behavior.
To change behavior demands outside perspective … in a word, everyone needs truth in order to reach the next level.
Where are you … really?
The Global Position System (GPS) is a space-based satellite navigation system that provides location and time information helpful to military, civil, and commercial users around the world.
GPS devices deal with latitude and longitude and in some applications altitude. GPS devices can provide maps, “turn-by-turn directions to a human in charge of a vehicle,” information on restaurants, gas stations, and other attractions. GPS may even provide the shortest route between here and there. This powerful information is freely accessible to anyone with a GPS receiver.
Where are you, really? To answer this question requires accurate information. Truth represents the facts or reality in the Story; call it feedback, experience, success, and failure.
Feedback can come as a bounced check, high blood pressure or high turnover. However, with life’s GPS signals the purpose is revelation and that requires listening for truth in the Story. Truthful feedback allows you to reach your destination.
The Best Predictor of Future Success
What qualities indicate whether a person will succeed or not? Some people will mention character and work ethic, education and talent, people-skills, purpose and passion; others list confidence, perseverance, and being a risk-taker.
However, the best predictor of future success is your ability and willingness to learn and change. How many times have you already demonstrated your ability and willingness to learn and change? It’s no surprise — to achieve your “next level” as a leader, business owner, employee, mate or parent you must be willing to change. The question is: what must you stop doing to free yourself for continued success? What behavior must change? What got you here will not get you there.
Ah, but how do you know what behavior is holding you back?
The best predictor of future success is your ability and willingness to learn and change, achieved through consistent reflection on truth in the Story.
The GPS signals – truth – come from the Story. You cannot avoid your story and achieve your full potential. Being receptive to truth is required to support your future success. The truth in the Story is otherwise known as feedback, experience, success, and failure.
How will you get there?
To benefit from the satellite signals and detailed information, a GPS device is required. If ignored you cannot hear the GPS Lady’s “turn-by-turn directions” and thus, reach your desired destination.
Truth allows you to recalculate, and then change unproductive behavior, behaviors that will limit your leadership potential and personal success.
As Tim reflected on the Story, he recognized the truth … his leadership responsibility is to provide truthful feedback to Simon. He left our Starbucks meeting prepared to re-engage Simon. He will use the Story to coach Simon toward becoming a self-managed leader.
How receptive are you to life’s GPS signals?
Where are you headed and how will you get there?
What’s the truth in Story telling you…?
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