Fact-File 7: Personal Mastery – puttingthe …

1 FFaacctt--FFiillee77::PPeerrssoonnaallMM aasstteerryy ppuuttttiinnggtthhee mmee from our guide onPPeerrssoonnaallMMaasstteerryy::LLeeaa ddiinnggwwiitthhEEmmoottiioonnaallIInntt eelllliiggeenncceeCopyright Bill Cropper 2004-12--------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------- 1 Please respect our copyright. You may reproduce small quantities of this document within your own work unit for learningexchange, provided due acknowledgement appears on all copies and any materials derived from mmee iinnlleeaaddeerrsshhiippMore and more leaders now connect successfulbusiness outcomes with their own level ofPersonal Mastery their ability to tune intothemselves and be more mindful of the impacttheir patterns of thinking, feeling and behavinghave on the people and situations that surroundthem as well as the results they Mastery revolves around the idea thatleadership starts with you that no matter whatyour leadership level, roles or goals, the criticalfactor to begin with is inside us.

2 The realm ofPersonal Mastery is largely internal. As werepeatedly point out in our leadership coachingclinics: Before you can lead outwards, you needto look inwards. WWhhaatt ssPPeerrssoonnaallMMaasstteerryy??Person al Mastery is one of the 5 LearningDisciplines first promulgated by Peter Senge,populariser of the learning organisation, in his1990 ground-breaking book,The Fifth is perhaps themost elusive of scentrally to do with self-awareness doinginner-workon ourselves andseeing the impactourpatternsofthinking,feelingand behaving haveon the people andsituations around us and the results we get fromthese s the discipline of Personal growth andlearning says Senge, but it entails more than justlearning new skills. With Personal Mastery , Personal purpose and vision come first it startsby clarifying what really matters most to us.

3 It sabout creating a desired future and movingtoward also links to ideas associated with personalempowerment, emotional intelligence and self-awareness. It means turning the mirror inwards,where all meaningful leadership work Mastery involves, as Senge says, a commitment to truth a relentless willingness touncover the ways we limit and deceive ourselves Personal Mastery is the discipline of continuallyclarifying and deepening our Personal vision, offocusing our energies, of developing patience, and ofseeing reality objectively. People with a high level ofpersonal Mastery are able to consistently realize theresults that matter most deeply to them. Peter SengeThe Fifth Discipline Fieldbook77 PPaatthhwwaayyssttooPPeerrssoonnaallMMaa sstteerryyIn our leadership clinics, we map out 7 pathwaysthat empower people to pursue the practice ofPersonal Mastery .

4 The first 3 purpose, visionandvalues constitute essential cornerstones:1. Personal leaders have goals butfar fewer have a real sense of Personal vision: anability to picture clearly the best leader we can beand work towards that with focus, determinationand diligence. Personal vision provides energyand impetus to change. It s like a point on thehorizon you set to guide the path you it, you wander around aimlessly. Personal vision is a key to unlocking the power ofpurpose. A Personal vision is powerful to the extentthat it expresses one's underlying purpose. It is thevehicle for bringing purpose into the domain of actsand commitments. Peter Senge2. Personal Purposein many ways precedesPersonal Vision. We all crave meaning in ourlives. We want to feel our lives matter and knowhow we make a difference, what our special gifts,talents and contributions are and why we do whatyou do.

5 Purpose fuels passion. It s energising. The simplest definition of Personal purpose: theextent to which one can create one's life the way heor she would like it to Vision differs frompurpose. Vision is a definite picture of a desiredfuture. Purpose is more abstract. But vision withouta sense of purpose is futile. Peter Senge3. Personal Values,thethings that matter mostto us, form the foundation for Personal who practise Personal Mastery areguided by, and driven to act out of, a clear set ofvalues in all arenas of their lives. Being clear onvalues you consciously choose to hold andchanging them if they ill-match is at the heart ofattributes like integrity and other 4 pathways can be viewed as skilldevelopment sets that enable you to realise yourpersonal purpose and vision and live your ::PPeerrssoonnaallMMaasstteerryy ppuuttttiinnggtthhee mmee from our guide onPPeerrssoonnaallMMaasstteerryy::LLeeaa ddiinnggwwiitthhEEmmoottiioonnaallIInntt eelllliiggeenncceeCopyright Bill Cropper 2004-12--------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------- 2 Please respect our copyright.

6 You may reproduce small quantities of this document within your own work unit for learningexchange, provided due acknowledgement appears on all copies and any materials derived from Personal Alignmentis the degree to whichour Personal vision, purpose, valuesandbehaviours are congruent with each other. Whenthese things match-up closely, huge amounts ofpositive power and energy can be we find the creative capacity to re-shape andre-new ourselves. Leaders who are out-of-touchor out-of-synch with these things, often pursuecourses of action that create inner-conflict; delimittheir power or potential and lead them to adoptadverse Personal Perceptionis being aware of theparticular ways you tend to perceive things theframes of reference you useto see other people, eventsand situations.

7 It s also aboutyour self-identity and self-concept , which is the sourceof your self-esteem and thedegree to which you learn toperceive yourself ,another question comes intofocus: Is how I see myselfand what I stand for the same as others see me? This relates to how accurately leaders seethemselves, which also extends to how you seeother people, events and situations too. Our wayof seeing impacts our way of being which links topersonal Personal Awarenessis how much you know(or are willing to know) about yourself whatmakes you the way you are, your wants, drives,needs, desires and preferences. It s being able tostep back and become an observer of whatyou re really like: your patterns of thinking, feelingand behaving; seeing how those patterns impacton others and affect the quality of yourinteractions; strengthening those that get yougood results and changing those that don we re not aware of often controls knowing themselves, leaders can t helpteams to develop skills to think and work bettertogether, engender a sense of purpose or buildpositive emotional climates.

8 They also remainunaware of the Personal patterns shaping theirthoughts, emotions, actions and approach tochallenging situations. They blame others andrarely look at their Personal Transformationis the creativecapacity we all have to re-shape, re-new or re-invent ourselves to be more in harmony with ourpersonal vision, values and purpose. The abilityto bridge those unavoidable gaps betweenpersonal vision and present reality is a keyaction-element of Personal well as compelling us to be more self-awareofhow we think, feel and behave as we approachthe world, Personal Mastery is connected to aquality we call mindfulness the ability to seehow our thoughts and feelings create much of thereality we experience and how we contribute tothesituationsthatarisearound us.

9 We define mindfulness asopening up fully to whathappensinsideyou(mental, emotional andphysical) and relating thatto what s going on outsideyou, including the impactof your inner-states onany external happenings. It s being expansively present and attentive towhat is happening in the moment and beingable to distinguish between reality and thethoughts and feelings we project on to first step in managing a crisis, improving yoursituation-analysis approach or handling a difficultdiscussion is mostly likely a mental one. Withmindfulness, we can exercise self-control andmake better who practise the discipline ofPersonalMasteryuse it as a Personal framework to makemeaning for themselves and others out of whathappens. Personal Mastery is: A way to put work situations in a broadercontext and keep things in perspective The basis on which to build shared teamvisions, common values and agreed prioritiesabout what s really important An energy source of motivation, commitment,consistency, conviction, coherence, integrity A foundation for making daily decisions aswell as major life -directing ones Like an anchor, providing a sense of directionthat attaches leaders to their purpose andFFaacctt--FFiillee77::PPeerrssoonnaal lMMaasstteerryy ppuuttttiinnggtthhee mmee from our guide onPPeerrssoonnaallMMaasstteerryy.

10 LLeeaaddiinnggwwiitthhEEmmoottiioonnaall IInntteelllliiggeenncceeCopyright Bill Cropper 2004-12--------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------- 3 Please respect our copyright. You may reproduce small quantities of this document within your own work unit for learningexchange, provided due acknowledgement appears on all copies and any materials derived from them drifting away from what reallymatters by prevailing organisational tides A mechanism to help decide priorities, relievethe pressure many of us of feel of beingcaught in the continuous spiral of the activitytrap and being able to tell how personallyeffective we are in moving towards goalsSo what does a leader with a sound level ofpersonal Mastery look like? Here are some of theattributes and practices you might see: Dedicated to creating and leading out of apersonal vision.