What is your higher purpose?
Yesterday I realized my own fears around success. We have an opportunity to close our first deal, which is a big win for the company, and all I could feel was fear. I didn't realize it until one of my team members said something to me. It was my ah hah moment. The moment I realized I was afraid and it was showing. It all started with a simple conversation I was having with my associate. We were talking about a new opportunity in another department and I said, "We have the possibility of closing this deal", and my associate said, "we will close this deal", and at that moment I felt his context and belief. I felt how confident and trusting he was in our purpose, the team, and the success of our movement. It was powerful. I don't think he understood the impact his statement made on me. In his correction he showed me how much he believed in me and our abilities to make our company a success.
A few lessons learned:
1. It is all right to have fear we are human. It is not all right to live in those fears and allow them to stagnate you. Instead use those fears to create a powerful context and purpose within yourself, " I will succeed at ____________ because of _______________ and I am overcoming my fear of ________________.
2. Lead your team with strength through a higher purpose. People will naturally do what is needed when they are led by something bigger than themselves. As leaders we need to constantly define, drive, and communicate our higher purpose and our teams will naturally get the results that the purpose serves.
3. People are not led by other people, they are led by purpose. The stronger your purpose, the weaker your fears.
Our purpose is to reinvent the learning and teaching process and prepare students for the world of today and tomorrow so that human development is accessible and education equality is a reality, what is yours?