Thursday, April 11, 2013

Staying Connected To Your Purposes


           

WHAT:
           This week in lecture we discussed Chapter 17 of Adaptive Leadership: Stay Connected to Your Purposes. I found this chapter especially stimulating because it helped me to define my overarching purpose: to improve things for myself as well as for others around me. The chapter describes the importance of maintaining complete awareness of your purpose in all aspects of life and thus gives strategies to aid in this task including: negotiate the ethics of leadership and purpose, keep purposes alive, negotiate your purposes, and integrate your ambitions and aspirations. When reading about and discussing the strategy of negotiating your purposes, I was immediately reminded of an inspiring speech I heard during my internship last summer with Deloitte Consulting.


 SO WHAT:
            Anyone and everyone is bound to encounter someone with a purpose that conflicts with their own. As a consultant, you are constantly fighting this battle with the client because they want something done a certain way that makes sense to them, but may not seem the most optimal solution to the consultant. The chapter describes one way of negotiating your purpose so that others support it by translating your purpose into a language that others can understand and will respond to favorably. The inspiring speech that mimics this exact approach can be seen here.

NOW WHAT:
            I tend to use this strategy in my everyday life and especially in my professional career next year as an information technology consultant for Deliotte. If you stop and think about it, it really does make sense to take a minute to evaluate why the client wants what they want and then translate your standpoint and solution in a way that satisfies their concerns and exceeds their expectations. In this way, you are more then likely to gain their support and acceptance. I honestly feel as though the principle of translating your purpose into a way that others understand and can support is a lesson that can be applied to anyone, anywhere, 

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