Callan…Coffee…Contemplation for the Week of April 7th
Self Mastery – Part II
A key component to self-mastery is self discipline. I believe truly great leaders apportion both time and energy to a disciplined control, regulation, and cultivation of their character. I believe there are three core elements of self discipline—think of them as investment zones or orientations, that distinguish great leaders from good ones. First, one must invest time and energy towards the future. This is what I call leadership projection. We must define the answers to these questions: What is it that we seek to become, and do, and leave as a legacy? Second, one must invest time and energy in the present—what I call leadership action. Leadership is an intentional set of actions that, like a muscle, must be constantly honed and strengthened. Each day, leaders should seek opportunities to practice, prepare, and perfect their leadership craft. Finally, one must invest time and energy towards the past. This is called leadership reflection. We must look at our behavior, performance, or lack thereof, and then courageously glean lessons learned to constantly transform ourselves. Self discipline is thus the means to self mastery.
Conversion
Conversion is a term I use describing the developmental journey of leaders. I focus on conversion because, as a concept, it naturally suggests an inner journey and self-mastery as critical prerequisites for leading others. The term conversion means “turning around,” which implies that to convert oneself there is at once both a turning away from something no longer effective and also a turning towards a new and more effective state of being. When leaders stay on the hero’s path, focusing on self-mastery and the perfection of their leadership craft, they will inevitably go through many conversions in their life. And what I have found in my own experience to be most catalytic in bringing forth positive conversions are experiences. It is experiences, felt deeply, which convert us and shape us, not concepts or ideas. All growth I have made as a leader, whether as a US Marine or as a leader in the private sector, has come through the crucible of experience and the cauldron of real life. Every person must solve for themselves the mysteries of leadership, and through personal experience, appropriate those truths so that they genuinely own the wisdom. Once owned and truly foundational to our character, this wisdom then becomes an authentic expression of who we are, how we live, and how we lead.
The Old Dusty Road
When I was enduring Marine Corps Officer Candidate School, our senior drill instructor always referred to the “old dusty road.” The old dusty road represented the grand parade of all Marines and the common tapestry of experience, tradition, and ethos that bound us together. I now see the wisdom of this metaphor. The old dusty road was meant to teach us that the private self was really an illusion and if we wanted to do something truly special, we’d have to leave behind our private world and orient instead to common purpose and selfless action. The old dusty road, like a great flowing river, was bigger than ourselves. Our solemn objective was thus to get on the old dusty road, stay on it, and be part of this grand parade. You see, on the old dusty road metaphorically marched every Marine who had ever served, and the last thing you ever wanted to do was let those other Marines down. Staying true to the old dusty road became a sacred obligation. It represented one’s responsibility to uphold the timeless essence of being a Marine, and in so doing—upheld the essential meaning of Semper Fidelis. We need more old dusty roads in our world.
Meaning
When I observe people and organizations from all walks of life and all sectors of business, I become increasingly convinced that what separates those who are satisfied and positive from those who are dissatisfied and negative, is meaning. One could say that, today, our society suffers from a lack of coherent meaning—a kind of crisis of meaning…which makes us feel unconfident, adrift, and fragmented. In the past, truly great societies and organizations always had an elevated core, a solid center of meaning, to which they were gladly reverent and willingly obedient; a common purpose creating a deep wellspring of shared intent and camaraderie. In my experience, deep meaning is found in the ethos of the group. It is ethos that describes for us the true meaning of our lives, our actions, and our aspirations. Ethos provides an elevated meaning—a deeper voice of wisdom, a greater pattern of excellence, and a larger truth capable of pulling us out of our private worlds and into the sphere of truly heroic ambition. Therefore, a sacred obligation of all leaders is to create meaning within our groups that elevates, creates awe, and results in peak experiences. Meaning is what ignites passion, unleashes excellence, creates confident and vibrant people, and allows us to bring cohesion to an otherwise disoriented world.
Enthusiasm
An unfortunate truth about today’s society is our incessant focus on what we are against, opposed to, or upset about. It seems we’ve become a society of highly offended, aggrieved, unhappy, and unhealthy people. Lots of negative energy refracted through a negative prism. The problem is, nothing great, majestic, or elevating was ever created from negative energy. Greatness comes from enthusiasm; from being “for” something. Heroic leaders must therefore break through current limitations, inertia, and malaise and point to what is possible, ennobling, and necessary to move us to the high ground. It is an unfortunate part of human nature that we get a strange satisfaction from complaining, bemoaning, and airing our petty grievances; however, great leaders know that being stuck in this negative energy will only make us more toxic and more feeble. Heroic performance will always be anchored in being positively “for” something, which is why Emerson reminded us, “Nothing great is achieved without enthusiasm.”
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