On a 1 to 10 point scale, how effectively can you empower the people around you? How much are people typically empowered as a result of meeting with you? What if you could elevate your empowerment skills by at least 2 points? What problems could you address that are painful today? How much would your elevated skills benefit your company, the people around you, and you?
Let’s begin with a shared definition for empower. By empower I mean: 1) manifest power within someone; 2) expand someone’s personal experience of their capabilities and choices; or 3) unleash hidden potential within someone; and spark that person to take action.
Tony Robbins and other thought leaders have empowered millions of people around the world by helping them to set aside limiting beliefs. You can use the disciplined practice of constructivist thinking to empower the people around you in an additional way, by setting aside limiting knowledge. While many business leaders and especially coaches and consultants have acquired skills to empower the people around them by setting aside limiting beliefs, future generation leaders will also help the people around them by setting aside limiting knowledge. Early adapters in setting aside limiting knowledge will unlock more creativity and performance and gain a competitive advantage.
Albert Einstein once said “No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong.†His quote reflects the mindset of a true scientist. I invite you to take the mindset of a true scientist and apply it outside of the field of science. When you do, then you are no longer a captive to the knowledge that you have acquired, and you can elevate your skill in the disciplined practice of constructivist thinking. You can learn to apply knowledge when it is useful in achieving a desired result and set it aside when it limits possibilities. Einstein was able to invent scientific theories which did not perfectly fit with existing theories because he did not let existing theories constrain him. Similarly, future generation leaders will look at personalities, personality profiles, and talent in a way that does not limit future possibilities for the people around them. Future generation leaders will unlock talent within people that no one knew existed. The people around these leaders will not be constrained by any particular personality or personality type.
Here is an example of the difference that you as a leader can make with elevated skills to empower the people around you using this disciplined practice. Stephen was a sales professional. He participated in an introductory webinar to learn ideas to effect change, unleash creativity and performance, and empower the people around him. Stephen then accepted my offer to experience a breakthrough in a one to one coaching session with me. Because Stephen really wanted a breakthrough, he sent me an email four days before his session to tell me about his problem he wanted to break through. Stephen had not been meeting his monthly sales goals for several months. He had been having difficulty sleeping at night and felt lethargic throughout the day. His daily productivity was highly erratic. He had been doing some reading on his own to try to figure out what was wrong with him. He had read about fear of failure and fear of success. While he was not sure whether he was suffering from fear of failure or fear of success, he wanted me to know that this fear was debilitating to him. He had also been reading about depression and was concerned that he may be suffering from clinical depression.
Because of the situation Stephen presented, I invested 15 minutes carefully crafting six questions for Stephen to consider before his session. I replied to his email on the same day with the intent of preparing him to experience a breakthrough four days later. When we spoke four days later, Stephen shared that he had already experienced a breakthrough. He had invested two hours reflecting upon the questions that I had sent him and then had been taking consistent daily action for four days. He knew by the action he was then taking that he had already broken out of his sales slump. In my email, I helped Stephen unlock creativity and performance by setting aside knowledge about fear of failure or success and clinical depression. I focused his attention instead upon his sales experience, expertise, and goals and how he would know when he had experienced a breakthrough. One of my favorite quotes from Jay Haley is relevant here “The way in which one labels a human dilemma can crystalize a problem and make it chronic.â€
When you use this disciplined practice to elevate your skill to empower the people around, you will also be elevating your skill to perceive creatively. Most people consider perceiving to be a passive act. Once you own yours as a creative one, then you can significantly elevate both of these skills. I see no limit as to how effective you can become using this disciplined practice to elevate your skill to empower the people around you. It’s a win-win-win endeavor, a win for your company, the people around you, and you.