| At the point our body and our senses (eyes, | | | | develop new pathways to effectiveness. |
| ears, touch, etc.) meet the world lies a | | | | This is where this book comes in. |
| crossroads. At this very point we experience a | | | | For the balance of this review I want to shine the |
| constant, two-way flow from the... | | | | light on a few points that particularly resonated |
| | | | with me from Kevin Cashman's seven master |
| 1. Outside in-situations, actions and events in their | | | | practices. |
| environment | | | | Personal Mastery and Purpose Mastery. Some |
| 2. Inside out-how we feel, interpret, process | | | | lead through the force of their character but |
| these situations and decide on our response Kevin | | | | most managers lead more through a coping |
| Cashman talks about this intersection as it applies | | | | strategy. They genuinely try to get results but |
| to leaders. On the one hand, a leader's | | | | divert too much of their available time and |
| environment obviously affects what goes on in | | | | attention to maintaining their own image, security, |
| the leader's mind and, in return, the leader's | | | | comfort and control. Obviously we can't expect |
| mental processing generates responses and | | | | people to ignore their personal concerns |
| actions that impact his/her environment. External | | | | altogether but the best leaders prefer their |
| and internal, it is a dynamic whole. You cannot | | | | behavior be determined by their strong character |
| seriously consider leadership development without | | | | and compelling goals. |
| addressing both elements. | | | | Interpersonal Mastery. Cashman quotes a |
| Cashman is right on the money when he says | | | | Saratoga Institute study of recently departed |
| that typical leadership development programs in | | | | employees and their respective managers. 85% |
| organizations concentrate pretty well exclusively | | | | of the bosses said their employee left for greater |
| on the "outside," the doing part: leadership actions, | | | | opportunity and more money. But, 80% of the |
| behaviors, competencies, techniques, and so forth. | | | | former employees cited the reason for their |
| For this reason he has chosen to focus | | | | departure as a poor relationship with and lack of |
| Leadership from the Inside Out on the "inside" or | | | | coaching from the manager. I wonder how many |
| being part: how you go about continually growing | | | | of the "departees" were too valuable to lose. |
| your inner self as a leader. The book is about | | | | Your interpersonal mastery level has a huge |
| growing the whole person as the way to grow an | | | | impact on your overall effectiveness as a leader |
| excellent leader. | | | | and, by extension, on the results you get. |
| I like this book for several reasons. The inner | | | | Change Mastery. If we accept the idea that |
| focus, around values and unconscious beliefs, | | | | managers work with what exists and leaders go |
| assumptions and habits of thought, form the | | | | beyond to what as yet does not exist, then |
| center of attention of recent studies in leadership. | | | | leadership is all about creating change. |
| Secondly, the author lays out a road map for | | | | Resilience Mastery. 92% of the 62 CEO's |
| developing our selves from the inside out. This | | | | interviewed for the book cited resilience as the |
| map includes seven distinct practice areas: | | | | most challenging area to master. I was initially |
| | | | surprised at this but, upon reflection, it makes |
| 1. Personal mastery | | | | sense. Resilience is both the ability to stay |
| 2. Purpose mastery | | | | focused and energized amid the turmoil and |
| 3. Interpersonal mastery | | | | complexity of today's environment and the |
| 4. Change mastery | | | | capacity to bounce back from a setback or |
| 5. Resilience mastery | | | | defeat. It calls for a laundry list of elements, |
| 6. Being mastery | | | | including: |
| 7. Action mastery Finally, at the end of each | | | | - confidence in yourself and your purpose |
| mastery area's chapter he lists practical activities | | | | - strong achievement drive |
| to develop yourself in that particular area. The | | | | - ability to learn from your mistakes |
| seven areas do not suggest any sort of | | | | - agility |
| sequential plan or stages of development. Rather, | | | | - living a balanced lifestyle |
| we are to see them as integrated, ongoing | | | | - having a close support network |
| processes. You can be working to get clarity | | | | - the willingness to work with what you can |
| around your goals and priorities (Purpose mastery) | | | | control or influence, while accepting what you |
| at the same time as you are enhancing your | | | | can't |
| ability to build stronger relationships (Interpersonal | | | | Being Mastery. Some form of reflective quiet |
| mastery). | | | | time, ideally including mind-focusing meditation, |
| I agree wholeheartedly when Cashman says that | | | | provides a way to uncover your deeper purpose |
| inner mastery work requires a lifelong | | | | and develop that calmness under stress that |
| commitment. You can't complete it with a few | | | | people trust and are attracted to. |
| workshops or six months of coaching. The best | | | | Action Mastery. The performance coach needs to |
| leaders never cease to engage in self-observation, | | | | call for the client's commitment to new behavior |
| soliciting feedback from others, reflection, and | | | | and then hold him or her to the pledge. Zenger |
| continued self-discovery. | | | | Folkman research indicates that 50% of the |
| Why is there no "quick fix" on the internal side? | | | | impact of training comes from post-workshop |
| Because these unconscious beliefs and maps of | | | | skills application back on the job, supported by |
| reality that we all carry around inside us are | | | | coaching. An ASTD study shows that post-training |
| deeply ingrained. They determine or at least | | | | coaching boosts the impact of the training by |
| heavily influence our external behavior. But | | | | 73%. Without the will and discipline to act, you |
| because they are mostly below our level of | | | | have no leadership effectiveness. |
| awareness, we don't see them operating. | | | | The bottom line of recent research-and of this |
| Furthermore, we don't know that we don't see | | | | book-is that to achieve a significant degree of |
| them. The only way to release ourselves from | | | | mastery as a leader we must attend to |
| their grip on us is to bring these limiting beliefs and | | | | mastering ourselves. This book provides a lot for |
| thinking habits into the light of day and consciously | | | | all of us to consider...and then take action upon! |