Compliance-to-Engagement, as a Road to Mastery
So this is incredibly ironic that I am sitting here at my computer working to be compliant with blogging… because I agreed to. Totally not one of my favorite things to do, and this definitely stretches me. The double-irony of it is that I am blogging on Chapter 5 of Daniel Pinks’ book, “Drive,” and the title of this chapter is Mastery!
This chapter is all about going from compliance-to-engagement, as a road to mastery. Of course there is a lot more involved in this chapter, it is just funny where I am sitting right now on that continuum. As a business owner I am totally on board to work towards our business goals and towards success, yet when blogging I often feel drained and unengaged. I really want to be on the other end of the continuum, engaged, motivated, experiencing “flow” while blogging.
So here is what I am applying that I have learned from this chapter. Mastery is a mindset, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right,” as stated by Henry Ford. My belief in my capabilities shapes how I approach tasks like blogging.
Mastery can be painful! The path to mastery, to become ever better at something you care about, is not lined with daisies and spanned by a rainbow. If it were, more of us would make the trip. Mastery hurts sometimes… even many times… it’s not much fun. I totally resonate with that!!
I care about our company and will do the not-so-pleasant stuff (e.g., blogging) to own my responsibility in our company’s success. The final law of mastery is that mastery is an asymptote – a constant approaching without ever quite reaching it. You can zero in on it, get really, really, really close to it, but you can never touch it. How frustrating, reaching for something that you never can attain!! However, mastery is also a source of allure, the excitement of pursuing it may be more fulfilling that the final realization of it.
This is totally about the process I create in my pursuit of mastery, it has to be colored with my style and flavor when I blog. How I get to where I am going has to be shaped by me, and it is crazy how I am feeling myself move on the continuum towards engagement, simply by working through this blog! I think I will start another blog right now…
just kidding!!!
Seeking Autonomy
It is a Thursday afternoon and I am sitting on a balcony, sipping coffee and working on emails. I realize how energizing it is for me to be able to take time away from the office and be confident in my decision, knowing that I can be autonomous and that I have a great work environment at the office of Next Element, or anywhere. Work will get done, whether I am in the office, at home, or on a quick trip with friends or family.
In chapter 4 of his book, “Drive,” Daniel Pink talks about autonomy. He explains autonomy as being self-directed, acting with choice, while being happily interdependent with others. He also refers to “ROWE,” which means, Results Only Work Environment. This concept was created by Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson, two former human resources executives at the American retailer, Best Buy.
In ROWE, work is not managed, it just has to get done. How, when, and where, is up to each person. People continue to have specific goals to reach, and time lines for completing those goals, however, they are given a lot of autonomy as to how they achieve the needed result.
I really resonated with this concept of focusing on the result, and having a work environment that supports each persons’ unique gifts and motivators, giving myself permission to be there for my children after school, and know that I can be a professional business woman at the same time… it’s so energizing and affirming!
I believe everyone is seeking autonomy in some form. From time-to-time, everyone wishes they could attend a child’s school event, take advantage of a sunny day for some golf, or carve out a couple of hours to read and be inspired by a book. And to know you can do these things without worry, and know your supervisors and/or peers support your choices, provides an overall sense of autonomy that has a powerful effect on individual performance and attitude. I also believe healthy autonomy contributes greatly to overall health.
Rabbit Trails, Apples and Oranges
I am sending out a special thank you to Andrea Naef, Owner of Kahler Communications Oceania Ltd., for steering us away from the temptation to go down a rabbit trail of comparing the Process Communication Model (PCM®) to other types of personality inventories. She affirmed for us that to do so is like comparing apples to oranges. PCM simply does not fit with other profiling instruments.
The PCM is about types in people, not types of people. The PCM profile is merely an initial way for us to get a handle on all the mechanics of personality. And from that foundation, we begin to understand how we experience others – their choice of words, tones, gestures, posture, facial expressions. We learn to recognize the internal processes that we go through, and ways that we work toward getting our needs met in both positive and negative ways. PCM provides real, hands-on strategies to accurately and rapidly observe behaviors and language of personality structure, and from there we can connect and motivate for effective, accountable communication behavior.
We have always believed that once you have gone through this training and are committed to being intentional around applying and using PCM, it is not necessary to have the profiles of those around you in order to achieve healthy communication. You will see and hear what is in front of you, and you will be able to effectively connect with and motivate others.
Thanks again Andrea, for your words of wisdom.