
Clear Confident Leader Weekly Observer, Issue #44
From the Greenbelt of Boise, Idaho, Hot summer morning
Problem – a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome.
Outcome – the way a thing turns out; a consequence.
I had a conversation with Brandon Wright for a segment on Wright Stuff Radio. We talked about growing leadership, by shifting from problem-reacting to outcome-creating.
I shared that a common way we make sense of the world is to see and react to problems. We use conditioned tendencies we develop throughout our lives. Our reactions typically fall into one or more of:
- Controlling to deal with it as best we can.
- Protecting by assigning responsibility to something or someone else.
- Complying to get along.
In reacting, we work to reach a status quo, whether it is returning to the previous state or living with the current reality as best we can.
Brandon responded with “you say problem, I say challenge.” He reframed the situation, which is a good way to consider what might we achieve. A challenge is a “call to take part in a contest or competition” (Google). This way of reframing a situation works for many people, yet can hold us back when we do not see a path to succeed. When we get stuck in a success mindset, we resort to using reactive tendencies.
To grow our leadership capacity, we need to shift to a growth mindset. We become curious about the current reality and the outcomes we want to create. We articulate gaps to close, and develop creative competencies in ourselves and those around us.
The way we respond influences the collective leadership system in our families, teams, organizations and communities. By shifting to outcome-creating, we generate the leadership we need to deal with today’s increasing complexity.
Consider, what are the outcomes I'm creating today?
Let’s make the shift to outcome-creating, and create a better future today!