You can set your goals using your own innate gift. However, you will need the support of others to realize your dreams. They constitute your power squad, your core team.
It is usually a team effort that achieves great success. Engaging others enables everyone to feel valued while contributing effectively, both in your work and personal life. The more engaged people are, the more they will understand, contribute and tap into their creativity and innovation. You can then expect them to take initiative and share “outside the box” ideas. If you fail to engage them, they will be passive staff waiting for instructions before they commit to anything.
One of the things I have noticed across the world in different corporations is the lack of
alignment between top management, middle management, and the “floor staff.” For example, I had two full-day sessions with the top management of a reputable bank. It was great—they were enthusiastic, energetic and buoyant. I was impressed. At the end of the two days, I had a dinner meeting with another client from a different business. The client shared with me an incident involving poor customer service that had happened to her that day in the bank I had just finished my sessions with. I was surprised that the negative encounter had taken place with a teller, but as I reflected on the previous two days’ sessions, it was clear to me that while the bank’s top management was doing great, morale on the floor was low. This was costing the client in terms of reputation and credibility. Alignment of all levels is crucial for achieving success.
Aligning personal, family and corporate values also enhance your ability to implement your gift as well as inspiring others around to do the same. Encouraging your family members to find their gifts by creating an environment in which they get a chance to find their passion is a wonderful gift you can give to them.
One of our clients hired us to help him and his family articulate their values. After a few meetings with the couple and their two children, they came up with the following values:
Our family displays unconditional love and trust.
TRUST was an acronym they came up with:
T: Trusting that all four of us mean well and wish the family to be a place of love and growth.
R: Respect one another at all times no matter what.
U: Understanding to each other’s needs.
S: Supporting one another at all times.
T: Time management so that we can achieve optimum use of our limited time.
It was an exhilarating exercise, and the children felt empowered and important to be part of it. Their problems did not just evaporate after the exercise. That would be too good to be true. However, the family was better equipped to deal with the problems since they had clear values they wanted to operate their life around.
Finally, as you engage your power squad, be grounded in principles. Without a compass for truth and towards our authentic self, the external success is short-lived and it is hard to win the trust of the team.