I’ve just returned from Austria where I had nearly 300 leaders and managers from the heating and cooling industry play Air Guitar to Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain”. Just for fun or was there much more to it? Well it did inject some fun into the proceedings and yes there is a point to it.
As leaders we often underestimate the impact that our state has upon all of those around us. If it’s Monday morning and you come into the office in your usual Monday morning mood (which let’s suppose is grumpy and miserable), what effect is that going to have on the people around you? The way you speak, the way you respond, the way you are? And how is being in that particular state going to affect you? Is it going to lift you into a more resourceful place or leave you even more grumpy and miserable at the end of the day?
You see, as leaders (but also as a partner, parent, teacher or whatever other identity you wear in life) we impact the world around us by the state in which we choose to be at any moment. And yes, I said “choose”! If I am grumpy and miserable, how is that affecting the world around me? The first person I meet that day? The way I behave and the results I get? If I’m upbeat and interested, how will that change the same situations and circumstances? How will I behave with those people? How will they be thinking and feeling? Will the results of our interaction be high or low quality? Will they want to deal with you again?
We are not victims of state. Freud’s model of stimulus and response is only true if you allow it to be so. Frankl’s model of proactivity and what get’s called “response-ability” is far more liberating, empowering and enables you to live a far more productive and enjoyable life because you can choose what state you want to be in AND at any moment that you choose.
There are only 3 things you need to know about managing and changing your state: language, focus and physiology. And you can use any one of these to affect the other 2 and therefore your overall state whenever you wish.
But what about Air Guitar? Isn’t that what this is about? And of course, yes it is! Playing Air Guitar was a simple 90 second way to change everybody’s physiology and that was the trigger to change their focus, some of their internal and external dialogue and had a reinforcing impact on their physiology. How do I know? Because there was a room full of beaming smiles glaring back at me! And did it affect the outcome of our time together? Absolutely!
So think about how you lead (and how you live). Are you spending your time in low quality states with related low quality results? Or would you rather live in high quality states, positively impact the world around you and see much higher quality results?
The choice is yours! And if you want to know more, get in touch.
Live and love your life!!!