Lead By Rewiring Your Brain

Rewiring

About 15 years ago, I bought an International Scout. It would be a fun, fairly simple project for my boys and me to work on together.  

We started on the easy stuff.  New tires, wheels, and a paint job.  All the things on the outside that would make this thing amazing.

But it wasn't quite right.  The inside needed some work.  The engine ran.  You could drive it around, except that not all the lights or instruments worked.

To get it registered and licensed, it would need to be rewired.  I thought this thing was 50 years old; the technology is simple.  I can do this.

Wrong.  I couldn't do it.  I could strip out all the old wires, but even when buying a wiring harness with rudimentary instructions, I was lost when it came to installing the new wires.  Things just didn't match up.

I tried to do it all on my own, and I was lost.

I now had an International Scout that looked great from the outside, but was worthless because it couldn't fulfill its purpose: driving up and down the road.

Many leaders suffer the same fate.

Search podcasts, books, or articles in popular magazines about leadership, and there are as many different topics as there are articles or specific keys.

However, the most dominant stream of thought to develop one's leadership skillset is to lead yourself first.

And there lies the problem.

Many experts agree on this one idea: the hardest person to lead is yourself.

There isn't a magic pill, elixir, or injection to do the work for you. No GLP-1000 to be a better leader, or to make it easier to lead others.

Too often, organizations, executives, or event organizers are looking for, as Andrew Geesbreght points out, “Clicks and Claps.”

Claps

Events and seminars, or as some people describe them, are “motivational entertainment.” The speaker entertains with a polished presentation featuring an award-worthy PowerPoint of dynamic artwork and one-liners.  The audience claps.

Show up, get motivated, and inspired with a notebook full of notes.  It's an industry with revenues over 2.4 billion and climbing.

But does it work? Does it drive your brain to be better at leading, though?

Clicks

Then there are the clicks. The videos or courses created and sold to help people learn what they need to do to be the best version of themselves. Step by step, perfectly outlined and detailed.  You can do it on your own at your own pace.

At the end, you might get a certificate to print off or even be mailed to you.

You are now a graduate of the “Greatest Leadership Program in the World.”

Ok, the sarcasm is getting thick now.

You Have to Do the Work

Full disclosure, in case you missed it, I speak at events and I offer video courses. But why?

To build a relationship with people and show them they aren't alone in the journey.

Yes, you have to do the work on your own, but you don't have to do it alone.

This is what rewires the brain.

How so?  For me, it's as simple as trying to teach someone how to tie their shoes or ride a bike.  You have to think through every step in such detail and with such repetition that you can explain the process thoroughly.

Rewiring your brain is the same.

In my Awaken the Leader Within Course (ha not a sales plug), the last section we cover is LEAD.  It has three phases: Vision - Connect - Influence.

Anyone can have a vision, and it is what separates leaders from managers.  A leader has and is inspired by the thought and idea of a better outcome, place, or future.  A manager tends to be in the position just to keep the status quo.

Don't get me wrong, management is needed to accomplish and realize a vision.

I could have rewired my Scout if I had a guide or someone who had done the work I was trying to do to help me.  I had the will and was not incompetent.  I simply was lost making progress.

I went to the event, I was inspired and motivated, but I just didn't know where to start with my 37 pages of notes.

Leadership Begins in the Brain

Modern cars have a brain; their computer.  Old cars, not so much, yet there is still a central command spot.  Its meaning and purpose.  Cars are used to move people or things.  Leaders move people.  They move people by creating and clearly communicating a vision.  Not just once, like when you press the ignition, but each time a cylinder fires or a wheel spins.

This is awareness of what motivates and empowers people to action.  All of this clarifies within your mind that your unique traits and abilities can lead and influence others.  It takes practice and reiteration.

Had I had someone to guide me to rewire my Scout, I might have been able to do the next one on my own.  If not after 5 or 6 times, I most likely would have.

Self-Leadership is Crucial

My struggle with being able to rewire the Scout myself was a lack of awareness.  I didn't know what I didn't know, and when I did know I didn't know, I didn't know who to go to get help.  I overestimated my strengths (the ability to figure things out) and underestimated the challenge (there were so many wires!)  

Self-leadership is being able to figure out where you need to grow.  It's creating a routine to ensure you show up as your best self for others every day.  It's not hiding limitations so others don't discount you because of them; instead, it's showcasing so others feel empowered despite their own limitations.

When it comes to personal growth, this is where groups and others have been the catalyst.  The ability for others to see what I can't has allowed me to see myself from a different perspective.  As well, their experiences help me learn at an accelerated pace and level.

Practice and Mindset Matter

I asked Andrew during our conversation what one thing a person could do to engage in the process of rewiring their brain to lead.  His response was to seek feedback.

Feedback is sitting with someone and telling them what you see in them.  This can be building them up by showing them the gifts and talents they don’t know they have, or cleaning their lenses so they can actually see what's in front of them.

We fail to seek and give feedback because we overgeneralize.

I learned this from a speaking professional a few years ago.  Instead of asking people generally for feedback, ask how well did I connect with the audience?  Or how was my volume?  Or did I move around too much or not enough?

Asking for feedback with specificity frames it, helping people provide realistic and actionable feedback.  It's all about mindset.  The mindset of growth.

Be willing to learn and choose to be fascinated.  When things don't go your way or people share something that 

Full Circle

I never rewired my Scout.  I hired someone to do it, and to be honest, the entire project lost its allure.

I ended up selling it a few years later, missing the opportunity to have that memorable, fun experience with my boys.

Not uncommon for so many leaders.  They bring in a consultant to fix the ‘leadership problems’ so they don't have to do it themselves.  

Because they were unwilling to get the help that they really needed to fix themselves!

And then the problems persist and the whole thing becomes a weight to tow around, rather than a success to drive.

Did you catch this podcast? If not, listen to it here.