TUNING YOUR INNER LEADER

I do a lot of photography, which among other things, is a study in contrasts. I tell my stories by directing viewers' attention to this waterfall  then that log then this person by making things brighter or darker, sharper or blurry, colorful or muted. I arrange my subjects in the frame, giving more space and priority to what I feel is most important. It works because I know that as humans, we’re much more attuned to contrast than harmony. The human brain processes 400 billion bits of information per second, but we are only aware of 2000 of those. So the brain biases those 2000 bits of information to the differences and fills in the rest with the subconscious. That’s pretty cool, especially when my viewers see the “whole” picture, and even “feel" the cool air or “smell" the pine trees.

What does this have to do with leadership? Well, everything. Those 399,999,998,000 bits of information we’re not aware of aren’t exactly going about their own business, enjoying a tall non-fat soy latte while listening to Portugal.The Man. They get run through our operating system of beliefs, values, memories and stored perceptions, and get output as thoughts, feelings and actions. Our impact as leaders, at home, at work and in the world, is dependent on a well-tuned and performant operating system.

You may ask yourself how one “tunes” their internal operating system. Let’s start by talking about why the tuning is needed in the first place. We all introduce “bugs” into our operating systems by living from the outside-in, gathering messages and images of how we should look, act, think and feel from the time we’re little to adulthood. We get stuck in traps of comparison and positioning ourselves against others that creates a mental model of who we think we should be, often in conflict with who we are. Now, there’s nothing wrong with striving to become a better version of ourselves. Like upgrading to “(Your Name Here) v2.0”. But when this is done out a need for approval and validation of our worth, then those “bugs” will inevitably affect our performance, results and impact.

The CTI Co-Active® Leadership Model offers us a way to tune our operating system. It starts with the premise that everyone is a leader, regardless of their position or title. That leaders are those who are responsible for their world. Tuning one’s operating system is to tune the “Leader Within”, enabling us to make powerful and effective choices that maximize our performance and impact. This means stepping out of our traps of comparison and positioning, and letting go of the mental models of our idealized self in service to our leadership.

Easier said than done, right? I mean, these are habits and ways of being that are permanently seared into our souls. Well, they’re not, I promise you. Here are two ways to start tuning your operating system:

• Self-Acceptance
  Sometimes the devil you know is more comfortable than the angel you don’t know. Harsh self-judgements and limiting self-beliefs, wrapped up in a warm blanket of familiarity, can see seem safer than the uncertainty of newer, more expansive beliefs. The key here is to practice being present to who we are right here, right now, and understanding that every aspect of us, including what we perceive to be faults and weaknesses, is there for a reason.
  
  When we can be present to ourselves as we are, we begin moving towards self-acceptance, and away from self-judgement. Practicing mindfulness, gratitude, and kindness towards ourselves and others opens up space for our purpose to emerge and those pesky mental models to slip away. What’s one thing you can commit to practice this week to help you in accepting yourself?
  

• Self-Authority
  Self-authority begins by making a choice to claim ownership and authorship of your life, giving you the space to be responsible for your world and "response-able" in the world, or able to respond powerfully and effectively in any given moment. Self-authority means we give ourselves full permission to show up as we are and take action. We are fully responsible for our impact on others and on the world around us.
  
  And while it’s impossible to control everything that happens around us, we can claim complete authority over who and how we are when challenging events occur and how we choose to respond. Understanding our purpose as leaders then mindfully aligning our intentions and actions with our purpose is the height of self-authority. What’s one thing you can do today to claim your self-authority.

Back to those billions of bits of information - the photo above was taken at Panther Creek Falls in Washington state, near the Columbia River Gorge. It’s one of my favorite photographs I’ve every taken. When I’m in the field I am consciously trying to bump my awareness up past 2000 bits per second. It’s kind of like a walking meditation. But even then, it’s nowhere near the billions of bits per second that are whirling in the background while I’m working. I can only trust that the work I’ve done with my technical and artistic skills will guide me in making good choices in the field that result in a visually compelling photograph.

Leadership is like that. Whatever angle we choose to lead from - out in front, side-by-side with another, from the back, or alone in the field - it is impossible to perceive every bit of data around us. So we need to trust that the work we’ve done on our Leader Within - our internal operating system - will guide us in making powerful and effective choices that result in achieving our goals or helping our teams achieve theirs. The work sounds incredibly simple but it’s rarely easy - Self-Acceptance and Self-Authority are journeys unto themselves and take a willingness to move into new, and sometimes uncomfortable, territory. For those who choose the make the journey, the results and impact on your work and the world will be nothing short of profound.

Suggested Reading:

• The CTI Co-Active Leadership Model. The Coaches Training Institute Website

• Co-Active Leadership: Five Ways to Lead. Karen Kimsey-House and Henry Kimsey-House

• The Stake, The Making of Leaders. Henry Kimsey-House and David Skibbins

• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Daniel Pink