With positive disruption, you vigorously reject and replace the status quo. One of the ways to create this disruption is to set unmistakably clear goals, and this takes effort because although most of us set goals in some way or another, positive disruption takes you to the next level.Disruption in goal-setting begins with revisiting clarity and purpose. Are your goals clear and aligned to what you want and why you want what you want? Is your team clear about these goals and invested in them through their involvement in creating them? This will sound simple, however, most don’t get this right or at least can become better at it.
If your goals are audacious they will require a burning desire, not just a pipe dream. And that burning desire may be front and center for you, or it may be latent, waiting for the right moment. In any event, positive disruption entails finding, discerning or creating the burning desire that aligns with your purpose.
Make sure your goals are holistic otherwise it will be hard to sustain your success. Focusing your energy only in one direction (for example work) while neglecting other aspects like family, recreation, spirituality or health, can make you unbalanced and unhappy.
Disrupt your thinking around obstacles and hurdles. Value them instead of getting frustrated by them. Obstacles force you to reassess your path, develop new ways of thinking and reinstate your goals.
Revisit your road map. Is it taking you to your destination? Very often we choose paths which might seem easy and appropriate when we started but often lose track over time. Once a week assess your path and how it is serving you.
Consistency is the key. One way to disrupt bad habits is to develop a few consistent keystone habits. These keystone habits will disrupt your free-fall when you are veering off course.
Be open to feedback and be accountable instead of being defensive. All of us have blind spots; aspects of our personality which are obvious to everyone, excluding us. Feedback is often a great source of disruption because it forces us to become fully conscious of these aspects and working on them.
Every stage of learning goes through four stages of disruption – unconscious incompetence, when you don’t know what you don’t know; conscious incompetence, where you find out what you don’t know; conscious competence, where you learn what you know; unconscious competence, where you can perform what you have learnt without any conscious effort, like riding a bicycle. Till a new skill or learning becomes a part of your unconscious competence set, keep on practicing it and teaching it to others.
Remember there is always a next level no matter how high you climb. If you are open and alert to life it can take you on a series of eye-opening adventures and experiences.
Finally, disrupt your work so that you are having fun. Take regular breaks; read something inspiring, go for a brisk walk whilst listening to music. All these activities disrupt the inertia that sets in after working for some time and help rejuvenate your mind and body, opening new vistas of learning.
When a corporation remains status quo it begins its downward journey. Therefore, be open to a positive disruption with goals that keep you alert, always heading towards the next level and guarding you against any blind spots and pitfalls.
Positive Disruption the Corporate Sufi Way is a new program Corporate Sufi Worldwide has embarked on. If you are interested to know more, feel free to email us at info@corporatesufi.com.