“Transformation begins with a powerful relationship to what is so,” said Werner Erhard.
When I talk to entrepreneurs, I often ask, “How open and honest is your organization?” Most give a similar answer: ‘I think we are pretty honest.’ I get it. Most leaders are so caught up in the day to day they seldom consider the question. But there is no ‘pretty honest.’
That question is binary. You either are, or you are not. What ‘pretty honest’ describes is a functional, ‘nice’ environment working hard and not fully delivering on its potential.
“Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it does,” said W. Edwards Deming.
The results we produce are the truth alive in objective reality. Are these the results you desire, or the results you are settling for? Only you really know. Improving results impacts both your bottom line and your fulfillment as a business owner.
The area that packs the biggest punch, and possibly the most difficult to achieve, is creating a healthy environment—one built on trust.
Here is what most folks get wrong: trust is not earned. Trust is given. It is a gift, an act of generosity, and an expression of entrepreneurialism. It is why entrepreneurial organizations are unique expressions of their founders — and often their greatest competitive advantage.
When you have an open and honest environment, there is nothing that cannot be shared or addressed. People can riff, express and share ideas no matter how crazy. Some of those crazy ideas create breakthrough results. Will there be dust ups, disagreement and conflict? Yes — and in an environment of mutual respect, that is a valuable activity. Innovation increases, creativity abounds, and productivity explodes.
“When there is trust, conflict becomes nothing more than the pursuit of truth, an attempt to find the best possible answer,” said Patrick Lencioni.
What gets in the way? First and foremost, human feelings. We get hurt or angry — and anger is often just hurt wearing a different coat. These are human emotions that will never disappear. The problem is we make them wrong and suppress them. If there is an upsetting event, deal with it immediately. As in NOW. Letting the upset linger is the thing that gets in the way of the business you actually desire.
As a leader, you are the tip of the spear. You are the catalyst. You are the one. This is the job you signed up for. You work hard — don’t you deserve the results you desire? Don’t you deserve a business that is the full expression of who you know yourself to be?
“A coach is someone who tells you what you don’t want to hear, who has you see what you don’t want to see, so you can be who you have always known you could be,” said Tom Landry.
For more information and to book your free introductory call visit: www.eosworldwide.com/mike-shereck.
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