A Life Changing Experiment Anyone can Do

It might be slow, but complacency is death.

The danger of complacency is you don’t see your own smug self-satisfaction. In dying organizations, “I’ve got it all together and I don’t need to change,” is desired and admired.

Why do you look up to the dead?

if you want others to change grow yourself.png

Complacent leaders think of others, not themselves, when conversations turn to personal transformation. But growing leaders notice that as they change, the people around them change.

The ultimate leadership challenge:

Personal transformation precedes influencing change in others. If you want others to change, grow yourself. Gandhi said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” For leaders, personal transformation is the ultimate challenge.

Successful leaders grow and change first. Leaders who aren’t growing and changing are on a slow march to oblivion.

The ultimate life-changing experiment:

Ask someone you trust and who knows you, “What could I do this week to live a more meaningful life?” Before they respond, say, “I’ll do whatever you say.”

Guidelines:

  1. Your advisor knows and understands your values and strengths.
  2. Your advisor has your best interest at heart. You don’t want someone projecting their life on you.
  3. Your advisor has a measure of success in the pursuit of a meaningful life.
  4. Your advisor understand constraints like time and money.
  5. Your advisor knows you’re looking for daily behaviors for one week only.

Variations:

Craft a question centered on a specific topic. What could I do this week to:

  1. Develop new relationships?
  2. Deepen current relationships?
  3. Become a better leader? (Spouse, friend, boss.)
  4. Move my career forward?
  5. Encourage my team?
  6. Fulfill my vision for life?
  7. Serve you/my team?

Regardless of the question you craft, commit to do whatever they tell you, before they respond.

Advanced challenge: One week a month, ask someone a life-changing question and do whatever they say.

What life-changing questions might you suggest for this challenge?

If someone asked you, “How could I be a better leader this week,” what, in general, would you say?

banner keynotes coaching