By Cheryl Leone and Dave Favor
The Daily Record Newswire
As a reminder, the principles of self-mastery can be placed into four paradigms — fear, duty, achievement and integrity. No matter what type of task you seek to accomplish, arriving at integrity is the ultimate goal of self-mastery.
Integrity means being true to yourself, your beliefs and your values. This would be simple to do were it not for two unfortunate factors.
First, many of us do not know what our values are. We tend to respond based on the moment.
The second complication is that people have different perceptions based on their cultures. Have you ever heard the expression, “My truth is not necessarily your truth?”
Now add another layer to this mix: your work culture. You now have to consider the values and beliefs of the business in which you work. Ideally, your values and the established values of the business are the same — or close.
If your own values and business values match, you are ready to move into the integrity paradigm.
The problem we often have to work around is perception. People around you will form a perception of who you are based on your actions, your profession and their culture.
In other words, they will judge you before they know you.
To overcome any differences, your actions must be consistent. That does not mean everyone will like it. Throughout history, there have been political figures with great integrity that were disliked. They may have had integrity, but you may not have liked their values.
People in the integrity paradigm become leaders as they prove themselves. As your actions demonstrate integrity, people will begin to trust that you will continue to act the same way all the time. You will have the ability to move into a leadership role.
The journey to self-mastery is cumulative. You perform your duty and add value to the business. You achieve results, thus increasing your value to the company even more. You demonstrate integrity, thus increasing your potential to be a leader.
You can become stalled anywhere along the way. The journey starts many times every day when you choose to react to an event.
The best way to prepare for it is to have a firm grasp of your end goal.
If you have no idea where you are going to end up, you have no purpose. You tend to react randomly to events driven by the moment.
One of the first questions we ask staff members when we come into a law firm is, “Why are you here?”
We are looking for that stake in the ground. Do you know what your job is, what the expectations are and how this all relates to your life?
People who know the answer to that question develop a passion for their work and their lives. They also know the vision of the law firm, and how the firm’s vision supports their own personal vision.
The second puzzle they must figure out is how to reach their goals.
To answer that question, they have to know their values. The people who can answer these questions understand the rules of the game and how to win it. That knowledge puts them on the road to integrity. In the business world, that translates into a leadership role.
• Fear: If you live in fear, you make no progress. You spend your time looking for anything that will support your fear. You are totally ineffective.
• Duty: If you live in duty, you don’t really trust everybody, but you will do your duty. You go to work, pay taxes, etc. You become a good worker and add value to the business.
• Achievement: If you move up to achievement, you start to question the truth around you — including your own truth. Your focus is on accomplishing your purpose in life. You become an entrepreneur. If your vision and values are similar to that of the business, you become a valued employee and start to advance in the company.
• Integrity: If you move into integrity, you have an open and honest life. You establish values related to your beliefs and (some say) spiritual guidance. Your self-confidence builds and you become a leader.
Your assignment is to discover who you are. Why are you here (in this job, in this life, on this project, etc.)? Identify your values, your passions, your purpose — and start your journey.
Cheryl Leone and Dave Favor are the principals in Catalyst Group, Inc., a national professional development company in Raleigh, N.C. Both speak and write nationally on law firm development and mentor and coach lawyers and paralegals in personal and professional development. The company website is www.catalystgroupinc.com.
