Ask yourself, what exactly is self-management. Dictionary.com defines self-management as a noun: the act of or manner of managing; handling, direction, or control. It's a very literal meaning. However, self-management is so much more beyond that, I find self-management to be a verb. A verb not the grammar sense of language, but a verb as an action, a continuous action. We live in an age of unprecedented opportunity; if you have ambition and smarts, you can rise to the top of your class, profession, and life. But that opportunity comes with responsibility. Each of us as individuals must effectively their own chief officers. It's up to you to carve out your place, to know when to change course, and to keep yourself engaged to the task at hand. In order to do any of those things well, you'll need to cultivate a deep understanding of yourself. Much like a farmer cultivates his land for weeds, you must know yourself and utilize your strengths and improve upon your weaknesses. How can we achieve this level of self-management?
It really comes down to 5 keys: knowing your strengths, knowing how you perform, knowing your values, finding where you belong, and knowing what to contribute to that place of belonging. All these keys mesh together into self-management, the verb.
Knowing your strengths: Obviously, most people have an inherent idea of what they are good at, whether that be school, sports, social events, etc. It is important to know that a person can only perform from strength. One cannot build performance on weaknesses. In a world with an infinite amount of choices, we need to know our strengths to know where belong. A method that was invented around the fourteenth century that can help identify strengths is feedback analysis. Whenever you make a key decision, write down what you expect will happen and check back a couple weeks or months later and compare the actual results with your expectations. Also, question how you got to that point. You will be surprised how close your expectations are with actuality. I like to think this happens because we as people are inclined to make experiences as good or bad as we expect them to be. To something in life halfway is to not do something at all. As soon as you can identify your strengths, work on improving them. Only the weak are complacent. In English literature, characters are can be described as static or dynamic, unchanging or changing respectively. As characters in our lives, it is vital that we are dynamic. If you stay in one place too long, you will get left behind. Essentially, finding your strengths will remedy you of your bad habits.
How you perform: Amazingly, few people know they get things done. Also, too many people work in ways that are not their style, and that guarantees poor performance. Like one's strengths, how a person performs is unique. It is a matter of personality. Are you visual? Are you auditory? Are you hands-on? Are you better advising or making decisions? A person's way of performing can be slightly modified, but it is unlikely to be changed and certainly not easy. We are who we are for a reason. Each person has a unique quality to add to any group dynamic. Some people work best in groups. Some people work best alone. Many people perform best as advisers but cannot take the burden and pressure of making the decision. By contrast, some people need an adviser to force themselves to think. No matter what your style or quirks are, it is important that you figure them out and embrace them. Do not try to change yourself - you are unlikely to succeed. Work to improve the way you perform.
What are your values: To be able to manage yourself, you have to ask yourself, what are my values? With respect to ethics, there is a simple test to determine your values. It is called the mirror test. When you wake up every morning ask yourself, what kind of person do I want to see in the mirror? And go out into your day trying to portray that image to the rest of the world. To work in an organization whose value system is unacceptable or incompatible with your own condemns you to frustration and nonperformance. Most importantly, a person's strengths and the way that person performs should never conflict. They should complement each other and values should be the bridge connecting both.
Where do you belong: Very few people know early on where they belong or what to belong. Finding your place requires plenty of experimenting. Even some failures. But once you find that direction, you stick to it tight. You might not know exactly where you are going but you should have an idea of your strengths, how you perform, and your values. Sound familiar? When used in conjunction with each other, the first keys are your most powerful tool in finding your place. Or better yet, where you do not belong. I have been told many times before by those wiser than I am that if you can't say no, your yes means nothing. It is all about trial and error. Exposing yourself to all the world as to offer and not limiting yourself into a box of well-calculated measurements and precautions. I am not saying to be reckless. I am saying that taking a chance is the best move you can make on your journey to finding your sense of belonging. Successful careers are not planned. They develop when people are prepared for opportunities because they know their strengths, their method of work, and their values. Knowing where one belongs can transform an ordinary person - hardworking and competent but otherwise mediocre - into an outstanding performer.
What should you contribute: For the mast majority of human history, mankind was told by superiors what they can contribute or their tasks were dictated by their work itself. In the middle of the nineteenth century, this changed to the phase "do your own thing." Neither extreme has worked in any case. The few people who believed that doing one's own thing would lead to contribution, self-fulfillment, and success ever achieved any of the three. In answering the question "What should my contribution be," you must address three distinct elements: What does the situation require? Given my strengths, my way of performing, and my values, how can I make the greatest contribution to what needs to be done" And finally, What results have to be achieved to make a difference? By evaluating your course of action based on these three questions, it is easy to determine what you contribution should be. I have always say that the person who invented the wheel was an idiot, but the person who added a barrow or added 3 more wheels and a base to connect them was a genius. They took a simple idea and contributed a new way to use it that surpassed any expectations that anyone ever dreamed about. Look to contribute on the large-scale spectrum of things.
Thus, this is the end of my managing oneself discussion. Note how all of these keys in the end work together and fit under the noun, which technical is a verb in execution.
I know this post was quite the doozy. I hope you have stuck with me and found something interesting. I plan on condensing all of this into a 25-30 min presentation. I think I have plenty to talk about to make that time.
I will let you know how it turns out later.
-R.D.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment