| I was in a discussion last week with some of very | | | | You see in any situation or any action that you take |
| well regarded industry leaders. The subject of | | | | above, one point is clear - Insecurity will bread |
| discussion was achieving greatness in groups. | | | | insecurity. Ever heard of this - as you sow so shall |
| Most discussions on groups, and this one no different | | | | you reap. Well its very true from operating with |
| almost always and implicitly leads to the notion of | | | | insecurity. |
| 'least common denominator' and finding ways to | | | | The difference between a cricket coach and you in |
| round off the rough edges. | | | | such situations is that he doesn't have a choice and |
| The magic though lies elsewhere. | | | | you do. My guess is that the difference between |
| Examine carefully the leaders of the Indian cricket | | | | people who learn to be the architect of possibilities |
| team in the recent past. The turnaround that started | | | | and those who focus on rounding off the edges is |
| under Sourav Ganguly, the magic lay in Sourav | | | | that the architects operate from the second most |
| allowing other players to be themselves. The magic | | | | motivating factor for human beings, unlike the |
| for example lay in allowing a Sehwag to be more | | | | rounder who operate from the first. Somewhere, |
| Sehwag than he himself knew he could be. He didn't | | | | either the architects learned to control or convert |
| attempt to round off Sehwag's rough edges or for | | | | their motive of 'operating from insecurity' into the |
| any of the other youngsters. | | | | second motive, or simply realized that the second |
| The ESSENCE of a fabulous group is allowing | | | | one anyways satisfies the first. |
| individuals to be bigger and more individuals than they | | | | The second most prime-motivating factor for human |
| ever could be before. | | | | beings, by the way, is the emotion of love. |
| The principle of the Cricket team applies equally to | | | | Needless to say that if we were to operate from |
| say an accounting department or a sales department | | | | the emotion of love for the other person (team or |
| in our organizations. The only difference is that | | | | individual) - what would our solutions be? Would it be |
| leaders here make sure that people are not free to | | | | to develop them and help them overcome defeat |
| do their absolute best. Think carefully about these | | | | and become better individuals or would it be to step |
| words and ask yourself a very basic question about | | | | in and be the hero for ten minutes? |
| people who are with you as a manager or a leader - | | | | Its easier to focus on fixing a problem as there is |
| "is he or she free to do his or her absolute best, not | | | | something to do, to solve, to get hands dirty, than |
| as you would judge it but as they would" | | | | to imagine a great reality, extending support and |
| One of the finest managers I have been associated | | | | letting go. There is nothing to do. Thus even when |
| with defined his job to me as being the architect of | | | | we try it, in the absence of something to do, we |
| possibilities for people. One of the best things about | | | | must do something else - which will inevitably fixing |
| being the coach of a cricket team is that you are | | | | another problem. It's a TRAP. You will fall for it every |
| very luck that you cant to anybody's job. It is | | | | single time. |
| absolutely impossible for Gary Kirsten to walk out on | | | | Insecurity is a result of imaging a worse off reality |
| the field between high-pressure cricket matches and | | | | than a better off reality. Effects of insecurity will |
| do anything. | | | | always bread further insecurity. One look at the |
| He is lucky because the problem in our departments | | | | parliament's handling of the women reservation bill, |
| is we promote the best person, he or she knows | | | | one look at the few individuals and their possible |
| she is the best and when the going gets really tough, | | | | motives behind attacking the chair of the speaker |
| when everything is on the brink of a breakdown, we | | | | makes it very clear to me that its out of insecurity. |
| step in and help out. And why not otherwise my | | | | What comes out of that insecurity? - Withdrawal of |
| performance will become a question mark! | | | | support to the government. What does the |
| The coach of the cricket team or the manager of | | | | government do next? - They act out of insecurity |
| the soccer team or the master of the orchestra, | | | | created for them defer the voting on the bill. |
| none of them have the option to step in on the field | | | | Insecurity breads insecurity. |
| and bat, or play center forward or to pick up the | | | | Please realize that the only security you ever need is |
| violin and start playing. They have no other choice | | | | knowing that you are better today, that you have |
| but to be the architect of possibilities for the people. | | | | more skills as on 9th March 2010 than you had on 9th |
| The one's who learn it are the one's found in great | | | | March 2009. If you do, you have no reason to be |
| teams. What else is there in management and | | | | insecure. Unfortunately for most of us, the only |
| leadership if not this? | | | | additional skill we have today over the last year is |
| Why is it that some people are able to conceive of | | | | one more year of experience added on to the |
| themselves as architect of possibilities while others, a | | | | resume. That is not skill. That is the most useless of |
| vast majority of others fall into the trap of fixing | | | | all statistics. The scientifically proven reason for us |
| problems, controlling, making people follow the rules | | | | not focusing enough on acquiring additional skills, of |
| or simply rounding off their edges? What is the | | | | adding value to our own selves, of adding depth to |
| difference? Why do most of us get fixated on | | | | our own selves year on year is that we don't |
| correcting or improving the other person? My | | | | operate out of the emotion of love even for our |
| research and my thinking has led me to the | | | | own selves. We operate out of self preservation |
| difference being just one word - Insecurity. | | | | which then makes do so much that it leaves no time |
| By the way 'insecurity' is not a bad word. Insecurity | | | | for anything else! |
| basically means you are trying to protect yourself | | | | The discussions with the industry leaders and with |
| from a possible reality. 'The desire for self | | | | them with certain teams about what I have written |
| preservation' is for decades documented as the | | | | here got us these reactions: "but I cant do anything', |
| number-one motive for any given purpose. In other | | | | "it's the culture issue, what can I do", "I don't have |
| words it is the prime motivating factor for human | | | | the authority to make changes and start rating |
| beings. | | | | people on these aspects than the normal managerial |
| When we run into a situation with our teams, or with | | | | one's.".... |
| individuals who have managed to run into rough | | | | There is nothing more self defeating, self demeaning, |
| weather - there are mails flowing everywhere, | | | | self doubting, self discouraging, self degrading, self |
| bosses are marked, the boss's boss is copied - | | | | humiliating than to say 'I Cant do anything'. What are |
| emotions are running high - you can almost smell | | | | you trying to say? That you are no good. That you |
| tension - that something's got to give. The natural | | | | cannot bring out your own individuality. That you |
| response, thus becomes, to step in and do | | | | understand it but are so feeble and helpless. |
| something. Why do we do that? Again two probable | | | | If you do find these words in you, please remember |
| reasons - one that you don't want you team to fail | | | | it only exemplifies the point in this article that you |
| and two that obviously it would be nice to be the | | | | have never operated from the emotion of love for |
| problem solver in a crisis, after all we have all been | | | | your own self as you would rather demean yourself |
| taught that all good leaders are great 'crisis people'. | | | | than to grow into a better and a more powerful |
| For BOTH these actions, the motivation is | | | | human being. |
| self-preservation. | | | | The greatest leaders of our world, the Gandhi and |
| Evidently and understandably one in such a situation is | | | | the Mandela, none of them had any authority. They |
| not thinking of creating possibilities for people to help | | | | led without it. None of them said 'I can't do it.' They |
| them discover their individuality and become better | | | | just did. The only thing they had in common was |
| than ever before. Lets play along a little and see if | | | | dreams, passion, integrity and some serious jail time. |
| you actually did the latter what may have happened | | | | Even that didn't bread insecurity, nor did it lead them |
| - one possibility is that the individual would have failed | | | | to any self-preservation. They knew how to convert |
| and so you were justified in what you did. The other | | | | it to the emotion of love for the masses. Their way |
| possibility is that the individual may have succeeded | | | | was very simple - just let go and be what you want |
| and you might have been marginalized in all the | | | | to be, the rest will happen. In fact their ways were |
| 'praise' mails. Both the cases lead to further insecurity. | | | | so simple that no one else bothered to try. Yet they |
| Now that the solution that we actually go with which | | | | are the architects of possibilities for the human being. |
| is to step in and do the needful - what happens | | | | Look what they manifested for us. |
| there. Problem solved. You got noticed. What did you | | | | What will you manifest? Forget everybody else. Even |
| learn? Next time there is a problem, step in again. | | | | if you were to operate from the motive of self |
| Further praise. Thus a reinforcement in the | | | | preservation or insecurity, its only logical to adopt the |
| subconscious mind that operating with the motive of | | | | emotion of love for your own self at least. Isn't it? |
| self-preservation is the way. | | | | |