The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness. – Lao Tzu
Companies want to scale and grow rapidly; it’s the hallmark of our age. And yet, the landscape is littered with companies caught on speed bumps, putting the brakes on growth. What’s causing this slow down?
Companies are focused on the wrong factors, repeating this practice over and over, yet expecting different results. Isn’t this the definition of insanity? Stop the insanity and adopt a different, more effective approach. Follow these three pro tips to accelerate growth.
Pro Tip #1: Stop the Slow Burn
Like a smoldering fire, companies may continue to make money despite leadership deficits, while organizational results go up in smoke. Executive leadership likely assumes that lackluster results are due to a lack of performance or productivity, rather than behavioral leadership issues. As humans (especially achievement-oriented executives), we find it easier to focus on and fix tactical issues, rather than looking at ourselves and our behaviors – which underpin and create the tactical issues.
Often, organizational dysfunction is present, due to an avoidance of the discomfort of giving direct feedback to each other about performance or behavioral deficits. This “slow burn” is more costly than a rapid meltdown because it erodes the business systematically over time.
Pro Tip #2: Drop the Baggage
Have you ever run through the airport to catch a flight, only to be slowed down because you are dragging a bag? When you’re not weighed down with baggage, you’re faster and more nimble. The same holds true in your work. Specifically, unresolved past “baggage” drives present performance. Why? When we experience trauma – or view an event as traumatic – our unconscious mind encapsulates the event as a coping mechanism that enables us to move on with life. When a similar event occurs, our unconscious mind identifies it to be the same as the traumatic event, and creates another piece of baggage. This eventually results in a chain of baggage, often referred to as a Gestalt Chain (discovered by Fritz Perls). Each link in the chain is an unresolved piece of baggage; as they accumulate, the associated behavior becomes more pronounced.
This pattern develops unconsciously and can become our operating system, dictating the way we react to events and experiences.
Often, the unconscious mind does such a good job of encapsulating traumatic experiences, that we don’t consciously remember the details of the event. Instead, it manifests in current-day behaviors, typically in the work environment since that’s where we spend most of our time and to which our identities are closely tied.
Case In Point – The Impact of Unresolved Baggage
A CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company recognized his need for improvement, both personally and in terms of organizational results. He hired Velocity Leadership Consulting to work with him and several key executives using the Power Pathways™ approach.
The CEO had blind spots associated with several behaviors and situations:
- Leading through example by working harder than others
- Using an intuitive approach versus a systematic one
- Attempting to transform company culture single-handedly
- Operating in a zero-feedback role with no one to provide clear perspective
- Being blind to the impact of dysfunctional, yet tactically performing team members
Actions Taken
To resolve these issues we addressed leadership deficits, one-on-one, with the CEO and senior leadership team members. By identifying the origin of the behavioral patterns causing the blind spots, through the application of Neuro Linguistic Programming, leaders were able to see how and why the patterns were formed and became obstacles to achieving greater levels of effectiveness. We then used a proprietary system which provides a structure of increased awareness, alternate perspectives, and an understanding of current impact to enable each leader to make rapid, sustainable changes. The system includes a function that enables the leader to track the changes they seek to make – a key component of behavioral transformation. We also utilized Total Strengths Deployment Inventory (SDI) to facilitate clearing past baggage and uncovering conflict triggers, paving the way for healthy debate and improved performance.
Results Achieved
By gaining perspective, dropping baggage and developing leadership, the company had its best year ever in their 55-year history. Specific results included:
- Working smarter, not harder, with a “lead by example” approach
- Creating the time to work on high impact efforts, rather than everything
- Realizing the importance of restful renewal which has translated into improved creativity, goal setting, and increased energy for all involved
- An empowered senior leadership team working on themselves and growing as leaders, which opened the door for honest conversations about company direction, strategy and priorities
- Knowledge and awareness of their own behaviors and those of others, which fostered more effective relationship management and productivity
- Each team member can navigate healthy conflict, which yields greater results and better decision-making through constructive debate.
- Culture transformation from a historical, mistake-tallying model (the cost of which is growth velocity), to one of individual empowerment, responsibility, transparency, and cohesiveness
- The CEO and other executives are thriving in an environment where they have objective, neutral coaches who provide clear perspective.
Pro Tip #3: Get Perspective
The example above illustrates how we can unconsciously spend much of our time inside our own heads, captive to our own counter-productive thought patterns, blind spots and baggage – and the resulting lack of growth velocity. Teams are impacted as well – their attitudes and performance will reflect the patterns of leadership. Consider getting perspective with the help of an outside expert, adept at removing growth speed bumps that accompany leadership deficits and baggage.
Velocity Leadership Consultants’ Power PathwaysTM approach employs scientifically proven, neuroscience-based methods that unravel behavioral patterns and remove obstacles that impede progress, enabling teams to accelerate growth and elevate results, both individually and collectively. Contact us to learn how you can bring real, lasting change to your organization.