Hello Leader,
Here
is a question that was posted on our blog, a truly $64,000 question-one of the
biggest questions of all times: How does
one grow oneself? In this KEY we explore the four ways you can grow. It is
tempting to write a book about it, the KEY is a good place to begin.
As always, your comments are welcome. Please forward
this KEY to friends, family and associates. Sincerely,
Aviv Shahar
Read Previous KEYs here
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Four Ways To Grow
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People
have sought out development and growth from the beginning of time. Schools,
colleges and special think tanks were developed to provide development. Here
are four basic ways you can grow and develop:
- Immersion
-
Apprenticeship
-
A
project, crisis or vision
-
A
chosen pilgrimage journey
1. Grow through
immersion.
You get immersed in the environment that contains the knowhow you are
seeking. You go where the knowledge and
mastership of the field you aspire to develop resides. In the old world this
meant you went to Vienna for music, to Florence for painting and
to a mystery school in the East for enlightenment. In more recent times, you might
choose to go to Nashville for country music; to Silicon Valley to be an
entrepreneur; to Google if you want to write code; to HP labs to learn about
R&D; to Wall Street for money management; to Hollywood for acting; to the
Marines for character development; to Hawaii for surfing and to an ashram in
India to meditate.
In the immersion approach you surround
yourself with people who are pursuing similar goals and skills. You let them
and the environment they operate in teach you. Immersion is also how you grow
inside an organization. You seek to be close to the people who have mastered
the expertise you hope to develop, and you catch the way of it from them. And yes,
of course, Harvard, Stanford, MIT and Julliard are each a preparatory immersion,
too. They are templates of immersion and they reinforce the skills and mastery
they teach.
My growing through immersion experience was in the Air Force. It was a 24/7
immersion. I breathed flying; I ate flying; I practiced flying every minute of
the day. When I went to sleep, I dreamed about flying.
2. Grow through
apprenticeship. Apprenticeship is similar to immersion, but it
is more specific and focused on a master.
In the old world you could hope to work for Rembrandt or Michelangelo and learn
their secrets and mastership. Today you would seek out Zukerman for a
master-class on the violin; or you would enter the Mayo clinic to find the best
medical experts in the field you are pursuing and apply to work for them; you
would seek to play basketball for Phil Jackson, and you would ask Meryl Streep
what you could do for her, so that you might be around to observe how she prepares
and performs as an actor.
You might pursue Spielberg to learn about
directing and Henry Kissinger or Richard
Holbrooke to learn about diplomacy. Not all masters of their field
qualify as great mentors, but many do. You target the field you seek to develop
and its champions and heroes; then you find the master who acts as a mentor for
you. Similar to immersion, apprenticeship is growth and development by
transference. Apprenticeship is learning and growing by observation and
emulation of a master. Mentoring is when the master stops what you are
observing them do and explains to you how they are doing it. You seek out
Thomas Friedman and Fareed Zakaria to learn how to write commentary on world
affairs; Warren Buffet to learn about value investing and Jim Sinclair to learn
how to trade gold. You find Lee
Iacocca
to know more about the second act of a leader and you work for Jon Stewart to
learn about comedy. You work on the Obama campaign to learn how to mobilize
young people and you glue yourself to Rick Warren to learn about developing a
mega church.
There are masters who have learned from their master and there are those who
used the next two ways listed below. The story of each and how they arrived on
their own path can influence how effective they will be as a mentor. Working
and learning with a mentor can save you many years, perhaps even a life time. The risk is losing yourself in the process.
Apprenticeship with a master can be a thrilling and challenging journey.
3. Grow through your
project, a crisis or a vision. The third way to grow is to take on a
project that is bigger than your current capabilities. You commit to deliver
something you have never done before. You take on a new role with a scope of
responsibilities and challenges greater than you ever encountered before.
Robert Perry developed himself by going to the North Pole. Shackleton
did the same by going to the Antarctic. Inventing and building the first
airplane is how the Wright Brothers grew. Bill Gates developed himself by
deciding to put a PC in every home. He is now re-inventing and developing
himself through his foundation. Apple may have been developed by Steve Jobs but
Steve Jobs was also developed by Apple.
To grow through your vision, the task has
to be bigger than you. You serve a greater
cause and it causes you to cross over into the unknown, where you have no
choice but to handle the new requirements you are facing. Your vision or your project has to be big
enough to resist you and to force you to grow. It is growth by siphoning, by
the Law of Resonance and by the Law of Becoming. Richard Branson decided to start Virgin
Atlantic after a market research comprised of only one phone call: The line to
British Air was busy. Phelps decided to go for eight gold medals because it had
never been done before. The task shaped his preparation and development. The
liberation of South Africa developed Nelson Mandela. Barrack Obama decided he
was going to be the 44th President. He was lucky to have Hillary
Clinton to run against. She helped him grow. The crisis he inherited is forcing
him to grow in ways he could not have imagined. Growing through vision and
through crisis is about stepping into the unknown.
My
own experience is that the fastest developments I have made were when I moved
out of my comfort zone and into the unknown and the risk of new territory.
Coming to America;
taking on projects I had never done before and having to discover, innovate and
create the solutions for them on the run. Growing by stepping into the unknown,
by acting on your vision is the greatest thrill in the world.
4. Grow through your
pilgrimage and practice. This is the more abstract path. The path of the
mystic. The monastic road. In this you are not developing for any external end
or outer result. It is not about fame, not about power, not about money and not
about any other worldly success or endpoint. This is development for
development sake. It is the path of developing yourself to be the most
enlightened person you can be, because that, in itself, is a worthy cause and
endeavor. To be the best vessel you can
be because you are called to discover this path as the purpose of your life.
You renounce external validation and worldly confirmation as a catalyst or as a
reason. This is a lonely, sometimes reclusive path of development. It has taken
people both in the East and the West into monastic retreat or into an interior
journey unknown or often unrecognized by the people around them. Throughout the
ages, a few who travelled this road were recognized and found by the world,
because of the extraordinary radiance they developed. In some cases they then
became known teachers, masters, prophets, rabbis, or they founded new religions,
not because they sought it out but because destiny found them.
Find Your Growth
Path
The
best accelerated growth and development may have aspects of all four paths.
Whatever is your path, it is critical to balance the external development with
the internal growth. The fourth path begins on the inside and may lead you to a
life of service in the world. The first, second and third may begin the
development on the outside but as you grow in your exterior capabilities, you
must find the internal growth to balance and match it.
Many
people feel stuck because they are not clear about which way they want to grow.
They do not know how to aim themselves effectively. A skilled coach can help
you get clear in yourself and take action for growth.
Reflect and Act
Here
are a few questions to reflect upon. Please call me if you need further help to
explore your next steps.
- What
situations and times brought up in you the best development and growth?
-
When
did you learn and grow by immersion? In what situations was the help of a
mentor most meaningful?
-
What
are your personal development goals for the next three to five years?
-
What
is your development strategy?
-
Who
can you mentor?
-
What
growth opportunities are you looking to find in the current crisis?
Now it's
your turn. Turn the Key. Find your next opportunity for growth. Mentor and
coach others into their need for growth. Mentoring others is a great way to
grow yourself. Step up to be the greater
leader you can be.
© Aviv Shahar
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Invitation: The MVP (Most Valuable Player) Game Tele-seminar
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Join me in this content rich one hour tele-seminar as we explore The 10 rules of The MVP (Most Valuable Player)
Game and discover the champion profile. To lead you must be transformational
- learn how to generate value anywhere, anytime.
In this upcoming tele-seminar I will help you focus on transformational practices.
You will discover how to:
1.
Focus on what matters most
2. Take initiative
3. Create energy and enthusiasm
4. Build on strengths
5. Generate value and much more.
Please forward this to your
colleagues so they don't miss out. We are growing a community of
professionals committed to create breakthrough growth. Whether you are facing a
challenging situation or having a great ride, you would not want to miss our
next seminars and the strategies we will share. I look forward to you joining
me on this adventurous and life-affirming journey.
Make continuous learning and
development the center of your professional and personal growth. In each of our
next seminars I will share with you original content not available elsewhere.
These include insights into overcoming the five resistances, the five pathways
of success and the pillars of trust, integrity and collaboration. We will explore
tools to overcome "the recession of the mind" and share keys into
innovation and personal renewal.
Personal
Mastery teleconferences are $35 each, but the series of six teleconferences can
be purchased for $125. The fee includes the teleconference and an MP3 download
within three days after the event. All teleconferences are at 2 PM EST and are
one hour long. Instructions are emailed in advance. Join the complete series and a community of leaders eager to become transformational into their lives and environments.
© Aviv Shahar
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ASTD Published Our Consultant 3.0 Manifesto
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The American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) published in its Consulting Newsletter the Consultant 3.0 Manifesto by Aviv Shahar. Click here to listen to the Podcast: The Consultant 3.0 - How to Thrive in Consulting in a Scary, Brave New World.From the Press Release:"In Consultant 3.0: How to Thrive in Consulting in a Scary, Brave New World, Aviv, who created and delivered leadership and talent programs to Fortune 500 companies and coach CEOs, demonstrates how he turned a casual conversation with an astronaut at 32,000 feet into workshop firepower and leadership development IP. In this podcast Aviv explores the five dimensions of whole practice growth, or in NASA speak, the five engines of a thriving practice" "The strategic imperative shifted," explains Aviv. "When the unthinkable is the norm and the unpredictable is happening daily, the strategy imperative is not in discovering 'how to respond' and 'what to do'. It is in articulating what capabilities are to be developed to meet the requirements of these alternative and uncertain futures." © Aviv Shahar
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© Aviv Shahar
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