Leadership is a free choice function
September 5, 2007 by Miki Saxon
Back when I was accumulating, developing and refining what eventually became MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy)TM I realized that it’s truly the one thing that’s totally within your control, even beyond your thoughts and actions, because they are predicated on it.In my reading and in working with hundreds of people, I’ve found scores of stories of people who changed their life by changing their MAP, some through example and others through conscious choice, but change it they did.
To change any part of your MAP you need to
- really want it, changing MAP isn’t a casual decision or one you make for the sake of others;
- develop a strong, objective awareness that constantly monitors whatever you are working to change;
- progress through each of the four levels of competence:
- unconscious incompetence,
- conscious incompetence,
- conscious competence, and
- unconscious competence.
Just by bringing an item to the second level you’ll notice a giant difference, once you recognize incompetent behavior, whether thought, word, or deed, you’ll be in a position to correct it-unless you allow your ego to get in the way.
And don’t worry about achieving number four, by the time you’re there you won’t be thinking about it—that’s why it’s unconscious.
Most of all, don’t worry about trying and failing. My own definition of “failure” is death. I’ve always believed that as long as I could get up (no matter how slowly) and try again that I hadn’t failed I’d just postponed success.