Are you good at what you do? Chances are, unless you are completely new at what you are doing you have gotten good, perhaps you have even became an expert in your field. In one recent conversation with a client, he told me that after an average of 2 months most of his sales guys are 'great' at what they do and at that point are creating their own desired income. He says that it only takes a little time to learn their clients, their computer system and organizational expectations. Typically in my professional past experiences, I would say it was a 2-6 month time frame before I felt comfortable and in some cases good at what I was doing. Of course if there was previous experience in that industry then that 2-6 months could be mere weeks.On one hand it is good… it's even great when a leader gets good at what they do or who they are. However, this can have an equal and opposite reaction that may not be beneficial to their personal leadership or their organization. When new directions and decisions need to be made the expert may be blind to new possibilities because they are an expert at what they have done. Notice the use of 'have done' as past tense. This can be the biggest setback for many seasoned veteran leaders as well as the novice leader due to the 'book knowledge' and previous wins that he has championed into his portfolio as another point on the scoreboard.
Often times the expert leader is bound to the the previous successes, she is bound to the past, and many times not open to the new and different ideas; the (un)tried.
Do you have an expert mind? Are you limited to the small closed world of an expert? Are you buckled down from the less concrete world of spacial creativity? Perhaps you need to think like a 'tyro', a beginner in learning. Tyro's have that child-like outlook on things. A child looks at a problem and thinks that some markers, mud, and G.I. Joes will fix it. They don't always think rationally. Think about a new hire, some young fresh college kid who has no experience. If you were to ask him an executive question that is too much for him to entertain you may get an answer that is not the status quo. Remember as an expert you might find yourself where the status quo only makes sense because that is what has always worked, so why shouldn't it now? Could the perception of his sub-par status quo thought actually be a new viable option, something (un)tried?
Here is the complication; your expert mind says, "this can't be done" or " this shouldn't be done." This is not beneficial to any situation. However when you begin to think like a tyro your beginner mind says, "How can this be done?" or "I wonder if this can be done?" What might you need to change in order to get your mind youth-enized? How might you get your thoughts in control so that you can think like a young tyro, a fresh college kid, child-like mindset, with new ideas and perspectives, yet maintain balance keeping your measurables and goals in perspective? Will your ego stand in the way, the ego that tells others that your success comes form your knowledge and your knowledge comes from your experience? Our ego treats us like a crooked accountant that shows a modest profit while lining his own pockets with wealth. This ego says, "because of who I am and what I have done proves that my ideas are superior." The need here is an egoless clarity.
Now the question to begin to reframe your thinking is, "How can this be done?" Can you perhaps gain an egoless clarity to the unseen?
Also be sure to read this post that deals with an egoless clarity.
...read more on "Egoless Clarity [A Tyro's Mindset]"!
