The Modern Leadership Issue - 11

LEADING
SELF
OR YOUR ATTENTION, AND
HOW YOU SEE, OR YOUR PERCEPTION.
PERCEPTION
HOW YOU SEE
A. Perception is a learned behavior.
Like the doom-and-gloomers, we all know people who leap to conclusions. Our brains are
chock full of dozens of cognitive biases. One is the anchoring bias, which explains why we
tend to rely heavily on the first piece of information we perceive (such as list price or a first
impression). Learning to see beyond the obvious, the assumed, and the automated requires
reflection. How are your perceptions driven by the facts versus by others' interpretations?
B. Perception takes work.
Viktor Frankl wrote another of my favorite sentences: " Everything can be taken from
[someone] but one thing: the last of the human freedoms-to choose one's attitude
in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. " Choosing how I see
things-especially when times are tough, situations are difficult, and the stakes are
high-requires putting space between what you see and what you think. What kind
of attitude do you want to cultivate?
about the
author
Jerry Hamburg is a Principal at TiER1
Performance. For 20+ years, Jerry has
guided dozens of organizations across
a broad range of industries and sizes
in crafting results-driven performance
solutions. Jerry is passionate about
helping people do their best work,
which he does through his work at
TiER1 and a variety of non-profit and
service activities.
The result? Through candid conversation with
everyone affected, they were able to guide the
situation to a healthy resolution for all. They
helped the executive lead self by shaping
where he looked and how he perceived. This
changed the behavior of the executive team
member and improved morale of the overall
team. The business results remained strong,
and the culture strengthened.
And for this top CEO leading a multi-billiondollar
enterprise, the moral of the story came
in the form of a letter written by their team
member's child. " Dad, " it began, " I'm not sure
what you have been doing, but I want you to
know that I see a big change in you... "
CONCLUSION
Leading self is critical for how we show up as
leaders of teams and organizations. It's about
every modern leader asking themselves,
Where should I look, and how might I see?
The intentional cultivation of your attention
and perception are behaviors that take
practice-a lifetime of practice. Yet through
self-leadership, we can create better lives for
all we influence.
PERFORMANCE MATTERS / PG 11

https://tier1performance.com/author/j-hamburg/

The Modern Leadership Issue

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