Chapter 2: Personal vs Professional Development

“Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, and skillful execution. It represents the wise choice of many alternatives.”

– William A. Foster

We live in an age of mind-power, not man-power. At the time of this writing, the Canon Power Shot G2 digital camera sold for about $999.95 in Canada. In this device, there is about $20 worth of actual raw material and $979.95 worth of brain power. Now is the age where mental toughness and creativity make the difference. Malcolm Forbes once explained:

“The microchip has extended the reach of the human brain like machines extended the reach of the human muscle in the last century. Today, software is becoming the slabs of steel, fiber-optics and digital screens are becoming the rail roads, and the highways of transportation.”

The information age is adding new dynamics to the ability to succeed professionally. Working hard has always been the way to get ahead, but now you must not only work hard, but smart. It’s no longer how many hours you put in, but what you put into those hours. Developing your creativity and communication and relationship skills are critical to our success. It’s personal qualities that now make the most difference, and it’s this development that also help us to become the most that we can be, as I described in the last chapter.

Change

Everything in life is being so fine-tuned and developed to an exact science. Progress is shaping the new world and causing high growth which brings out the best of skill and talent in people. Harvard University has 3 predictions for this generation:

1. There will be more change in your field of expertise than ever before in history.

2. There will be more competition in your field of expertise than ever before in history.

3. There will be more opportunity in your field of expertise than ever before in history.

The opportunities of the future will go to those who can rise above the fierce competition, who develop themselves, and who thrive on change and become personal leaders. That’s going to require change and change is going to require personal development. Change is what characterizes life and yet so many resist it. Those that resist change have no clear goals and are generally insecure and grow little and experience little. Those that embrace change have clear goals that drive them to change, grow, and become the most that they can be.

I read stories of those who go to therapists to change. They hire their services, spend precious time and money to change, and then as soon as they begin the process, they act as if change was the last thing in the world they wanted to do. Their wounds or weaknesses are beginning to surface and causing pain in their life, forcing them to change but they resist, adding more pain to themselves and everyone around them. People don’t resist change, they resist being changed and it is my recommendation that when life surfaces something about you that causes discomfort or pain, look at it positively and see it as an opportunity to grow. Change is part of our personal and professional success, so allow me to share eight steps to consider as you continually change.

1. Awareness

As Albert Einstein had said: “Problems in life cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.” You need to first start with clarity on what exactly it is that you want to change: Is it your behavior, your income, your weight, an addiction, or a character issue? Whatever it is, get clear on it and get to the root cause and not the symptoms.

2. Attitude

If your attitude is wrong, then the chance of you succeeding is very slim. You don’t have to hit rock-bottom before you change, but you certainly have to have a good attitude. Have a willingness to change and be excited about the growth and new experiences you will gain.

3. Goal-Setting

I think this is so critical to change that, if understood properly, you will have all the ammunition you need to overcome any difficulty and become anything that you desire with the least effort but greatest satisfaction if you set about doing it. This is ‘goal-setting’.

Many people get bad advice from personal development seminars, counselors, therapists, and psychological interventions. Although sometimes needed most of the time, the problem is actually just a lack of direction, and what is really needed are well-set goals to help you make decisions for the future, not the need for therapy. All too often, people try to go forward looking in the rear-view mirror. You can’t do it that way.

About that only time I would recommend a therapist is when you have a properly set goal, absolute clarity on where you want to be or what you want, and are following a well-constructed plan of activities. If – and only if – you keep running into a wall that you just can’t see over, then consider consulting a professional. Most of the time, the problem lies in your decisions for the future, not the garbage of the past. Let me share two examples:

1 ) One customer of the Life Goals Planner found more value in properly-set goals than two years’ worth of professional counselling, workshops, and so on. In her own words, she said:

“I am a well-educated professional. My career was challenging, stressful, but it was also rewarding. I was working harder and harder to meet the high demands, but I should have been working smarter and smarter. I paid a big price for this lack of knowledge and found myself on stress leave. I thought I would be over it in a few months, but the reality was, however, that it took two years! I worked hard during that time to understand the situation I was in and how to deal with it properly. I was determined to be healthy again and was making progress, but so slowly. I saw therapists, I took workshops, I read books, and I exercised, all to find myself back at square one: I was not able to return to work. Daniel helped me set my goals, and in just a few months, I was back at work feeling strong, confident, and happy. Now, I am finally on the right track, going up, mostly working smarter, and living a balanced life.”

2) Dr. Laura responded to a caller on her popular national radio show: A lady had called in concerned about some rage she was venting toward her children. The lady had explained that she had been through all kinds of therapy and the advice was to get back in touch with the anger or resentment she developed with her mother and resolve the issues, to get some forgiveness and healing. Dr. Laura asked if she vented her rage at everybody: Did she respond like that to her husband, or co-workers, or friends? The lady responded, “No.” She seemed to only blow up at her children. Dr. Laura pointed out that she did have control in other situations, so it was just a matter of choice where and when to blow up, and that it wouldn’t matter if her mother was dead or alive, but that it were the decisions she made or the lack of decision-making that was the issue.

What I want to stress is that all too often we blame something from the past when the power lies in the present. It is our ability to make different choices, our responsibility – meaning we are response-able. Employing your will, powered by your goals and choices, will move you forward faster and easier than anything that has to do with the past.

4. Discipline

Self-discipline is needed to follow the plan of your goals, and if you don’t have the discipline, then you may want to get some accountability. Seek one who is mature and not going to rag and nag on you when you make a mistake, but someone who will challenge, encourage, and be truthful while you are on your journey.

5. Humility

You need to be humble and teachable. Let down your guard and open yourself up to learning new things, new ideas, different perspectives, and the other side of the story. You need to be able to accept constructive criticism and seek the opinion of wise counsel. There is merit in the proverb that states, “Listen to advice and accept instruction and in the end you will be wise.”

6. Resourcefulness

We need to become resourceful and be good problem-solvers. Everything you ever wanted to know has been written and someone has been through the same experience. Seek out the people and information that can help you and shed some light on the issue. It is probably only a click away on the Internet or the flick of a page in a book you can borrow from the local library. Learn to be a good researcher.

7. Commitment

You need to make verbal and written commitment to yourself that you will do whatever it takes to make the change you want to make. ‘I will’ are two of the most powerful words in the human language, so resolve to make the change. Commit to the process and you’re certain to succeed.

8. Personal Development

I believe that personal development is the ultimate key to change and I hope you come to the same conclusion by the time you have completed this book. I would like to say that words are often clumsy when you try to express what’s in your head and heart. I will do my best with this book, but it pales in comparison to the experience you will have when you commit to the process of change and grow to become the most that you can be. Personal development is the issue.

In the spring of 1998, Washington University invited Bill Gates and Warren Buffet to talk to the business department and answer any questions they might have. The first question was, “How did you get where you are?” Buffet commented that he is quite rational: He expressed that he generally always tried to get the most out of himself. He equated it to car engines by saying that it’s no good to have a 400 horsepower engine and only get 100 horsepower output. It’s best to have 200 horsepower and get 200 horsepower output.

A comment I really enjoyed was when Buffet challenged us to pick out someone we truly admire and aspire to develop those qualities in ourselves, and put into practice the habits that build those qualities. Bill agreed with the idea of forming good habits and added that we should magnify our brain power instead of our muscle. Then someone asked how they would define ‘success’. Buffet defined it as happiness: He said success is getting what you want and wanting what you get. He went on to talk about doing what you really love and for a company that you really like.

One of my business advisors used to say, “Sell your strengths and buy your weaknesses.” Identify what you are good at and become excellent there, then associate with people that are great where you are weak. Professional and technical skill development is important, but it is now becoming more important to develop ‘the person’. For you to be able to win in this fiercely competitive world, you must go beyond professional development and into some serious personal development.

Emotional Intelligence

Daniel Goleman writes about ‘emotional intelligence’, the new name for character, soft skills, or personality. Goleman stresses personal qualities such as initiative and empathy, adaptability, and persuasiveness. This is the new yard-stick, Goleman says.

Business people have told Goleman that emotional intelligence, not technical expertise or book learning, is what matters most for excellence. He defines emotional intelligence as:

“The capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, and for managing emotions well in ourselves as well as in our relationships.”¹⁴

He talks about how most training programs that companies use just waste millions of dollars and hours with an academic model when they really need to be thinking about new ways to boost peoples’ emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is not about letting your feelings all hang out, but about managing them so that they are expressed appropriately and effectively, enabling people to work together toward a common goal.

Some of the training programs that companies should invest in are those that develop the individual to become more fully human. If I hear the business writers of the day correctly, businesses must nurture, develop, and provide purpose and meaning for employees if they expect to win in the overall scheme of things. Pay is not the biggest issue, as a study from Michigan University demonstrated: 1,533 working people were asked to rank various aspects of work in order of importance. The result was that ‘good pay’ came in fifth place. People desire purpose and meaning, and that should be the company’s primary concern.

Scott Peck in his book, A World Waiting to be Born, asks the question: “Does a business have an obligation to nurture its employees?” I respond with a very definite ‘yes’: If the business is going to require its employees to develop personally, then it has to take responsibility on how they turn out. In fact, corporations have to take responsibility on all fronts for the people it develops and the environment it operates within – or, as Gerbers says, for the condition of the world and everything in it. Michael Gerber concludes his book, Power Point, with these words:

“It is my contention that no business, no matter what it does, can become great if its people wish for nothing less than these things. A power point business is a business which takes personal responsibility for the condition of the world it finds itself in, for the condition of the people with whom it interacts with, for the condition of their children and their children’s children, and for the very quality of life itself. A business with a conscious. That is, I believe the only mission worthy of the name: To create a world in which people are present, honest, open, and alive. To create a world in which people make conscious decisions in good conscience. That is what shooting for the moon is all about. And one cannot do it in one’s sleep. It requires all we have and it requires it now.”¹⁵

Well-developed people before profit

All evidence points to the fact that, in order for a company to succeed, it is going to have to have very well-developed people, physically, mentally, and emotionally – well-balanced and well-developed people. Michael Gerber recognizes that many companies waste lives: “It is the condition of 99% of the businesses we’ve visited over the past ten years, a condition of rampant confusion and tragically wasted lives.” He believes the entrepreneur must work first on himself before he can possibly be a success with his business:

“Your business is not the first concern about your business, you are! With no clear picture of what you want your life to be, how on Earth could you begin to live it? How would you know what first step to take? How would you measure the progress? How would you know how far you have gone? How would you know how much further you had to go? Without your Primary Aim, you wouldn’t. Indeed you couldn’t. It would be virtually impossible.”¹⁶

Twelve years later, Gerber writes:

“The question every manager must ask, and answer, in order to begin the process the E-Myth manager is committed to – that of true transformation – is not ‘what does my company want?’ It’s not ‘what do my people want?’ But it is first and foremost ‘what do I want’, truthfully. Honestly. Openly. Directly. It is my hard one belief that without asking this question, then answering it, no one can be successful at managing anything. The single most important question any manager can ask himself: What do I want? But ‘what do I want’ is not an organizational-defining question, it is a life-defining question. And one of the first rules for defining your Primary Aim.”¹⁷

I believe that for a human to be truly effective, he or she must identify their values, their major life goals, or as Gerber puts it, their Primary Aim. That’s precisely what the Life Goals Planner is all about. The foundational starting place for human growth, development, efficiency, and effectiveness. I ask a similar set of questions that Gerber asks.

“How can you possibly use your time, your talent, your skills, your resources, and make wise decisions without clearly knowing what it is you want?”

You can’t. And this is what the corporations are requesting of their employees, so they had better take responsibility that their training, development, and influences are for the good of the individual – first and foremost – before the profits of the company. In my, Gerber’s, Goleman’s, and Peck’s opinion, the employees first should produce the result the company wants, anyway. This is the trend of the day, and attitudes are changing.

Faith Popcorn recognized these attitude changes from her still relevant ‘Popcorn Report’. Trend 5, ‘Cashing Out’, is to slow down our racing heart beat and revive our soul. Trend 7, ‘Staying Alive’, is a trend that represents our quest for health: The extended search for a better, longer, healthier, and happier life. Trend 10, ‘Save our Society’, is the decency trend dedicated to the 3 ‘E’s: environment, education, and ethics. Consumers are pushing corporate responsibility and some companies are putting responsibility above profit as the primary goal.¹⁸ Goleman points out that people don’t necessarily work for money, but the larger sense of purpose and meaning: Something that works in them, a passion that aligns with their deepest values.

The mission statement drives personal development

Even though I believe corporations must continue taking more and more responsibility, the same is true about individuals: You as an individual must take personal responsibility to add value to your company, your family, and this world.

Corporations do recognize the need for providing purpose and meaning, which is why so much time, money, and effort is put into developing mission statements. Their mission statements no longer state that they are there to enhance the assets of the owners, but are full of purpose and meaning for the people involved, inside and out. Most are developed for the customer to show how ethical the company is or what values the organizational leaders support, but there is a turn toward purpose and meaning for the employees. People want to work for an organization that is making a difference, that their products and services have meaning and purpose to build a better world and help them fulfill their potential.

It is the leadership of the organization that has to develop a compelling mission and vision for all stake holders. The stake holders are the four most important groups in the organizations universe: The people who work for it, the people who buy from it, the people who supply it, and the people who lend to it. And it’s from these groups the leaders should draw its mission. When an organization has a compelling vision and a strong sense of mission, as well as room for everyone to grow, people will be compelled to invest in their personal development. Leadership must facilitate this growth. Much of the leadership talk these days is providing your employees what they need, and get out of their way and let them do it.

A recent article by Henry Mintzberg on the website of the Peter F. Drucker Foundation commented on the ‘Quiet Leader’, where he suggests that quiet managers don’t empower, they inspire: That quiet managers strengthen the cultural bonds between people and care for their organizations. They spend more time preventing problems than fixing them. Mintzberg followed the admired CEO of the Royal Bank, John Cleghorn, around for a day and commented that his role seemed to be more of a coach, where he encouraged and enabled, motivating the teams and organization at large.¹⁹

The new dynamics of winning

Responsibility and leadership is the name of the game for the 21^st century. This applies to the individual as it does the organization, but begins with ourselves and our personal development. A leader is a good listener and a good communicator. He or she pays attention to everything going on around him or her, whether they are leading their family or a Fortune 500 company. Stuart R. Levine commented in an audio program, The Leader in You:

“Success in the future will be determined by individuals and organizations that can establish quality human relationships. Success in the future will be determined by leadership. The ability to communicate, develop, and empower teams and listen more effectively.”

We need to invest in ourselves and develop the leader within, along with organizations with a clear vision and a sense of values. Leaders will have to communicate and motivate far more effectively in conditions of near constant change, and these leaders will have to mine every ounce of talent and creativity from the shop floor to the executive suites.²⁰ We all must develop the leader within and take full responsibility.

Beginning with ourselves, take 100% responsibility for your personal development, your finances, your health, and your happiness. This attitude is the place to begin, as Brian Tracy says: “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me.” Start at home and be a leader with your children. Denis Waitley has 20 valuable points for coaching your child to leadership: A list of the do’s and don’ts, which I agree with 100% and wish more parents understood and applied to build characteristics and values in their children from the beginning of their life. The ‘does’ are:

• Do listen often without prejudgment.

• Use frequent and sincere praise.

• Do be firm with them: They do prefer rules, discipline, and boundaries.

• Do plan many activities together: Get involved in the community and recreational and spiritual involvement. Take them to your place of business and show them what you do all day. Let them be a significant part of your life.

• Do share your joys and problems: Most anxiety in a child comes from mixed messages, and sharing both promotes security and belonging.

• Do discover their unique qualities and develop them. Encourage them to feel good about their unique one-of-a-kind talent.

• Do make good use of teachable moments to instruct values and responsibilities.

• Do encourage them to express their own ideas.

• Do show them your affection with a kiss, a hug, and positive affirmation of your love and care.

• Do expect them to be successful and tell them of your high expectations, and they will rise.

The ‘don’ts’ are:

• Don’t put them off when they ask questions or they will learn to seek information elsewhere.

• Don’t correct them in front of others if you can help it – they will be much more receptive to your counsel if you do it privately.

• Don’t nag.

• Don’t spoil your kids by giving them everything they ever wanted, everything you never had, and things they haven’t earned. Delayed gratification: Work toward a goal.

• Don’t make rash promises and don’t be inconsistent.

• Don’t tell them their fears are silly: They are real to them.

• Don’t let them form bad habits.

• Don’t forget they can’t always explain themselves: Their answers shouldn’t have to always satisfy you.

• Don’t forget they love exploring.

• Don’t push them to live up to your expectations and the things you never accomplished.

These points were taken from Denis Waitley’s program, The New Dynamics of Winning: Gaining the Mindset of a Champion. This audio program points out that for too long the emphasis in sports, business, and education has been on physical or technical skills and not on mental skills. With athletes, as well as business professionals, it is clear that outcome is based on psychological factors. Denis Waitley has coached, counseled, and studied some of the top-performing athletes on the North American continent. If you want to have the knowledge of what makes a gold medal winner, then you have to hear this program.²¹

Attitude, knowledge, and hard work

It seems quite clear that human beings have unlimited potential. It is easier because there is no lack of information, motivation, and inspiration to get you from where you are to where you want to go mentally, emotionally, physically, or financially.

In my province, British Columbia, Canada, the two top-paid executives earned an annual salary of $1,343,876 plus bonuses of $797,184 working for Ballard Power Systems, Inc. The third highest-paid executive earned $808,429 with a bonus of $600,000 for one year’s work.²² Wages in British Columbia start at $8.50 per hour, and rise to the salaries of these top-paid executives. That’s not even taking into consideration what you could do by owning your own business. More than 90% of the millionaires in North America are small business owners, and survey after survey reveals that the basic principles of knowing what they wanted, along with hard work, is what lead them to their success. The name of the game is ‘personal development’: You must grow beyond your present limitations and awareness if you want to move to new levels in any area of your life – and you’re going to have work at it.

I like this humorous example of adding a numeric value to letters. If we give a numerical value to each letter of the alphabet – 1 for A, 2 for B, and so on,

Then, ‘hard-work’ (8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11) equals 98%;

And, ‘knowledge’ (11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5) equals 96%;

And, ‘attitude’ (1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5) equals 100%;

But, ‘bullshit’ (2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20) equals 103%.

So, when someone says they are giving 100%, then they may be well on their way, but when they say they are giving more than 100%, which we know is impossible, then they may just be full of bull!

Chapter 2 Application: Development the Leader Within

1. Develop the leader within

There is a lot of excellent material written on the subject of leadership, which is readily-available from your public library or personal and professional development organizations, like Nightingale Conant (www.nightingale.com) or Career Track Publications (www.careertrack.com).

A couple of books I found very helpful, because they are full of questions to ask yourself, are from John C. Maxwell:

Developing the Leader within You. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1993.

Developing the Leaders around You. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995.

Characteristics of true leaders

Here are some comments and question from Maxwell’s book, Developing the Leaders around You:

• All leaders think big.

• Leaders think continually.

• Leaders think in terms of other people.

• Leaders think bottom-line.

• Leaders think without lines.

• Leaders think in terms of intangibles.

• Leaders think quickly. It is not what happens to you, it’s what happens in you.

Questions on commitment to personal growth

Answer with a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. Maxwell also comments that a ‘no’ to any of these questions should cause a leader to examine his plan for personal growth.

1. Do I have a game-plan for personal growth?

2. Am I the leader of that plan?

3. Am I willing to change to keep growing, even if it means giving up on my current position if I am not experiencing growth?

4. Is my life an example for others to follow?

5. Am I willing to pay the price to become a great leader?

Assessment of current leadership qualities:

(0 = Never, 1 = Seldom, 2 = Sometimes, 3 = Usually, 4 = Always)

_____ The person has influence.

_____ The person has self-discipline.

_____ The person has a good track record.

_____ The person has strong people skills.

_____ The person has the ability to solve problems.

_____ The person does not accept the status quo.

_____ The person sees the big picture.

_____ The person has the ability to handle stress.

_____ The person displays a positive spirit.

_____ The person understands people.

_____ The person is free of personal problems.

_____ The person is willing to take responsibility.

_____ The person is free from anger.

_____ The person is willing to make changes.

_____ The person has integrity.

_____ The person is growing closer to God.

_____ The person has the ability to see what has to be done next.

_____ The person is accepted as a leader by others.

_____ The person has the ability and the desire to keep learning.

_____ The person has a manner that draws people.

_____ The person has a good self-image.

_____ The person has the willingness to serve others.

_____ The person has the ability to bounce back when problems arise.

_____ The person has the ability to develop other leaders.

_____ The person takes initiative.

Total the points:

90-100: Great leader – should be mentoring and growing other great leaders

80-89: Good leader – must keep growing and mentoring others

70-79: Emerging leader – focus on growth and begin mentoring others

60-69: Bursting with potential – excellent person to be developed

Below 60: Needs growth – may not be ready to be mentored as a leader

As John Maxwell says,

“An organization’s growth potential is directly related to its personnel potential. A company cannot grow without until its leaders grow within. Grow a leader, grow an organization.”²³

This applies the same for all organizations, from the large corporation to the very small, your family. Take charge of your growth and experience all the rewards that life can bring.

“The potential of the average person is like a huge ocean unsailed, a world of possibilities waiting to be released and channeled toward some good.”

– Brian Tracy