INsight/ The Three Tees
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Photo by Ras Uche on Unspash.
Manila, 5 January 2022 — Working on your leadership involves three Tees.
Story
It happened in 2022. In your life and development as a leader. That is to say, it will happen this year if you come with me to engage in the art of possibility. If that sounds like a stretch, then rest assured that you will be in the good company of sages, philosophers, yogis, painters, orchestra conductors, master golfers, inventors, writers, business consultants, and coaches, including yours truly, who have done it before.
What is this about? I’m inviting you to create your future as a leader with your story of 2022, teeing off right now by visualizing where you want to land at the end of the first quarter, three months from now. What will have changed then in your leadership? If you enjoy movies, think of your change as a new movie, with you writing the script, playing the role of the lead actor, and directing yourself in the production. It’s about you as the creator.
If you warm to this possibility, you might actually feel that the time is right. You might see that the time for being lived by others has passed, and with it the time that your career progress was dictated more by processes and politics than by your own initiative. Creating your own leadership story is about making your decisions by taking control, as if you’re moving into the driver’s seat. From my own experience, I can share that it feels good when you do that and become the creator of your life. And, as I hinted above, you can be inspired by leaders who have done the same. Are you up for the challenge?
Challenge
What the role models for creative leadership agree on is that it all starts in your mind and then moves to action. There are many ways to experience this, such as a calling to a bigger purpose, a vision that comes with strong intentionality, or a growth mindset with the openness of a beginner’s mind. What matters is your mindset, followed by your practice and your behaviors to work with others and overcome hurdles on the way.
While it is tremendously fulfilling to grow your leadership, it’s not an easy path. Having good ideas only gets you so far, and you will encounter hurdles along the way, as you would expect. I know this well from coaching others, and from what I experience myself. To get your leadership story of 2022 off to a good start, and to keep making progress, it might help to recognize three challenges. I call them The Three Tees. If you have played golf or watched the game, you know that teeing up the ball helps you get off to a good start. The metaphor of a tee might help you.
Here are The Three Tees:
The First Tee is Translation, to learn from the example of role models, to adopt helpful frameworks, and to learn to speak the language of the people you want to help to change. That is where our Work In All Colors training will help you.
The Second Tee is Transformation, to learn and practice new leadership behaviors and other skillful means to influence change in yourself and others. If you’re like me, you choose to become a life-long student of leadership who keeps growing radically.
The Third Tee is Transition, to learn how to realize your Transformation in manageable chunks of time, typically periods of three months. If Transformation is your leadership story, then Transitions will be your chapters. You learn to see yourself as a Leader in Transition, achieving one transition after another.
Question
To recap, what I have asked is if you want to work on your Transformation as a leader with your story of 2022, teeing off now by visualizing your Transition to where you want to be at the end of the first quarter, three months from now? If this challenge appeals to you, we have made some progress in Translation by using the framework of The Three Tees.
Many leaders are attracted to the idea of Transformation and are curious to study insights (Translation) to get there. At that point, in the words of Paramahansa Yogananda, a teacher and one of my role models, they are at risk of studying all there is to know about apples without actually experiencing what it is like to eat an apple. So that’s where getting into action to start your (next) Transition will make the difference.
If you are committed to creating your leadership story of 2022, then let me know what your Transition in the first quarter will look like. We have a few open slots in the Leader in Transition Program where you get one-to-one coaching to make your transition happen, so go ahead and book your Free Strategy Call. As we start, we tailor the program to your situation, discover your challenge to focus on in the transition, and help you make it happen with weekly and daily practices so that you are supported all the way.