“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.”
– Lao-tzu
My internalGPS coaching model begins with understanding your current location. Looking within is the first step. You need to do this in order to understand the perspective and lens you are using to look at the world and to learn where development is needed for alignment with your strengths and values.
Blind Spots
Your blind spots are areas that are seen by others but missed by you due to a lack of self awareness or denial. If you do not specifically ask for anonymous feedback you may never learn of these areas because most of us are unwilling to risk a conflict or feel like it would not make any difference by sharing the information. To get the best feedback you need a third party to ask, this is one of the services I provide as part of my Executive Coaching. The feedback is always helpful but not always welcomed. Helping to create an action plan to minimize the blind spots and maximize strengths is one of the most fulfilling parts of being a Coach.
Powerful Leadership: Others Focused
Strong and inspirational leaders know themselves well but are not self absorbed. In the classic business book, “Good to Great” by Jim Collins, level 5 leaders (those that lead the greatest companies) all have one thing in common: humility with service to others. They are humble in their abilities and surround themselves with the brightest and best people who they credit when things go well. If things don’t go well then they take the blame. They are not weak; they make the tough decisions when needed and have a foundation of inner confidence that does not need the big press and accolades that some of the other leaders (of less successful companies) need. They know themselves and know the power of mastering themselves with out letting their ego get in the way.
Mastering Yourself
After you have your internalGPS current location then you need to set a big vision of where you want to go and then identify any obstacles in your way. One of the most important steps is to create a plan for how you will go over, through or around those obstacles. It is different and unique for each person; it is based on your self knowledge and knowing what you need to overcome your obstacles. Last week I mentioned the challenge of pushing out of your comfort in order to grow. My example was dragging myself out of my comfortable bed to go for my morning walk. I know myself well enough (and from countless times of trying) that if I put off my walk to later in the day then it will probably not happen. Know what you need to remove your obstacles and reward yourself when you blow one of those pesky obstacles away!
Here are links to prior posts that will help you use your internalGPS for knowing and mastering yourself:
Your internal GPS’s Current Location: Where Are You Today?
Coaching Your internalGPS: How Do You Overcome Obstacles?
Share a comment about how you learned something about yourself that gave you wisdom or mastered an obstacle for more power.
photo credit: jimmywayne via Flickr creative commons