Rand Golletz:
"My Beliefs About The Development of Business Leaders"
Do you believe it's possible for you to become a perfectly well-rounded and successful business leader?
If you do, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Unfortunately, much of the professional development work being done today is based upon the mistaken belief that if you invest enough time and money, your weaknesses will become your strengths. I do not subscribe to that notion.
As the renowned management philosopher Peter Drucker admonished us: “The primary purpose of management is to make strength productive.” He did not go on to say: “… and to improve all of your weaknesses until they become your strengths.”
 You are the aggregate of your knowledge, skills, talents and personal attributes.
Knowledge is your level of learning of concepts and facts. Knowledge is not performance; knowledge is not achievement; knowledge is not success. Knowledge can be acquired by reading a book or attending a workshop. In terms of business success, knowledge is necessary but insufficient.
Here’s a question: Wouldn’t you want your cardiac surgery done by a physician who has actually performed the surgery you need?
Skills are strengths at performing specific tasks. Let’s extend the surgery analogy. The same, really intelligent physician has now had five years of surgery experience – actually DOING. This might now be a guy you’d trust with your heart.
Talents are genetic strengths. Wouldn’t you want the physician in question to have been born with great hand/eye coordination?
Personal Attributes are characteristics of morality, character or personality developed early in life. Courage, endurance, persistence, resilience, and integrity are some of those. What if your surgeon is found to have performed egregious, needless bypass surgery 20 years ago? Would that make a difference to you?
The bottom line: In order to deal effectively with your development challenges, you need to understand the source and initiate the appropriate mechanisms for change.
Executive coaching can initiate the right mechanisms… but ONLY if the coach also has knowledge, skills, talents and attributes consistent with your needs.
Much of what you’ve learned about development and potential are myths. Here are OUR governing beliefs:
- You must accept that you are NOT equally and infinitely capable of all things.
To be successful you must apply STRENGTH to OPPORTUNITY.
- You must understand and accept your strengths and weaknesses, and their implications,
in a precise and granular way.
- You must understand that knowing what to do and actually doing it are not the same thing.
- You must apply your strengths to your available time to give you maximum leverage.
- You must understand the differences among the following:
- Knowledge
- Skills
- Talents
- Character attributes… the best routes to, and limitations of, their development, and their impact on your performance and potential.
- Your mind can either be your best friend or your worst enemy.
- You must resist the temptation to expend endless time and money improving significant weaknesses. They’re weaknesses for a reason.
Personal change requires focus, discipline and momentum.
The right executive coach… ONLY the right coach… can help you develop and sustain the three requirements to achieve success! Contact Rand Golletz today to see how your organization can benefit from his insight and experience.
Call 301-482-2598 or Contact Us online.
|
