Enlightenment is the Key Differentiator of Extraordinary People

Becoming enlightened is the first step toward becoming an organizational champion because the process starts with you. Living enlightened means living true to yourself and your unique design – authentically, genuinely, consistently. Naturally living out your core propensity is necessary for personal efficiency and effectiveness. Don’t diminish the importance of personal growth and improvement, however. But realize that your best improvement will grow from your core sense of self. If you’re an introvert, you’ll likely never be a natural extrovert—but you might learn to communicate better. If you’re an academic, you might not be an artist (though these aren’t mutually exclusive)—but you might learn to think more creatively.

Those who fail to understand who they are often fail to lead naturally, always trying to fit into someone else’s leadership mold. This only leads to frustration and inefficiency. Through perspective and understanding, embrace who you are naturally—pursue growth from your core, and unleash your unique and valuable gifts.

• Discovering yourself gives you a new found significance and sense of purpose.
• Discovering yourself gives you more freedom to move through life and run wild as you’ve defined your own playing field.
• Discovering yourself gives you new energy and passion that allow you to bring your best to any situation.

The road to enlightenment begins with self-discovery. And the road to self-discovery isn’t always easy. In fact, many people find it a very difficult trek. But by accepting the difficulty—even embracing it—we discover ourselves, and through that discovery we can enlarge ourselves and our impact.

Tags: book, champion, development, enlighten, enlightened, leader, Leadership, organizational, theorganizationalchampion

The End Result from Organizational Champions – Championship Companies

Champions build championship companies. What are championship companies?

Championship companies don’t compete, they win. They are most often category or industry leaders, or at least on their way to a category leadership position. Sometimes you might find a newly formed championship company in a turnaround effort. These companies are easy to spot.

1. They have great agility in an ever-changing world
2. They maximize partnerships and operate globally as an enterprise
3. Their culture is a highly diverse and performance-based culture
4. Accountability moves in all directions (evaluations happen up and down)
5. The organization operates as an interdependent system of cross-functional teams, clients, and suppliers.
6. These companies make bold plays and are disruptive by nature, often changing the game.
7. These companies are authentic – they walk the talk.
8. These companies have a genuine concern for their success and their contribution to society.

How do champions help build these championship companies?

1. They have trust and build trust within the organization by their example, their authenticity and consistency, their pure pursuits (win-win), and through accountability.
2. They are highly encouraging to others and spend a great deal of time investing in the highest potential.
3. They are inspiring through their emotional energy and drive for what’s possible.
4. They are always reminding people of the vision and connecting the dots to execution.
5. They are amazingly persevering and always get back up after a set-back (perspective).
6. They receive and give feedback regardless of hierarchy. They elevate above the politics. They have no time for politics.
7. They value the unique styles and experiences of all.
8. They personally engage. Their work has purpose, and therefore, they have a strong sense of mission.
9. The world doesn’t happen to them, they happen to the world (Jib Ellison).

Tags: agility, business, champions, championship, change, collaboration, companies, diversity, ellison, emotion, energy, enlighten, executive, interdependence, jib, Leadership, mutual, opportunities, organizational, performance, possibilities, purpose, risk, team, values, vision, win

Definitions of Definitions

A few months ago, through much research, the definition for an organizational champion was created. Organizational champions are enlightened change makers who are sensationally tuned to altruistic values and relentlessly driven by possibilities.

Over the past several months, the definition has been tested, reviewed, and debated. Fortunately, the definition seems to stick and excitement continues to build as this new, fresh term is unleashed to move us beyond leadership.

However, I understand that many of the words used in the definition might need to be described further to ensure alignment and understanding. So below is a brief description of the relevant words or terms.

1. Enlightened – An enlightened person is self-aware and self-realized. They have strong convictions and values that serve to guide their life decisions and experiences.

2. Change maker – A change maker is a systems (non-linear) thinker who is able to envision change, enroll others in change, communicate across boundaries, and manage complex tasks and milestones.

3. Sensationally tuned – A sensationally tuned person is inspirational and emotionally energized. They rarely suppress their emotions, but rather, they manage their emotions to inspire others toward an idea or cause.

4. Altruistic values – A person who lives by altruistic values lives to do good, not harm. They keep selfish ambition in check for the sake of the win-win scenario and mutual benefit.

5. Driven by possibilities – A person driven by possibilities has a strong sense of wonder and curiosity of the potential. These people use this curiosity to define, refine, reshape, and transform cultures, products, or processes.

Hopefully this adds additional clarity to the definition of an Organizational Champion. I welcome your thoughts and comments.

Onward!

Tags: champion, change, enlighten, enlightened, Leadership, maker, organizational