Thursday 21 December, 2006
One of the greatest threats facing leaders today is making
decisions based on information that is incomplete, partially hidden or
compromised in some way.
Many CEOs have told us that they so often sense that they are not
getting the truth. They cannot name or define what their sense of unease
or apprehension regarding the information they have received is about,
because they know that no one is actually lying to them.
In most cases, they know that these people are not actually dishonest or untrustworthy, but neither are they telling the CEO or Board everything they need to know. They can sense that something is not quite right.
How do you know that the information you receive as staff leader or a Board member is objective and unbiased? What creates the environment where information is regularly filtered, biased or withheld? What can you do to ensure that information you receive is reflective of the actual situation and possibilities, and not created from someone's bias?
The type of information that staff and others provide you is a direct result of how you have chosen to receive information in the past, what questions you have asked, and whether you have any fixed points of view.
Every fixed point of view that you have about anything creates the limitations and parameters from which you receive it. Leaders with a fixed point of view often say phrases such as "Oh no, that's not the way it is" and they often focus their attention on the ‘why something can't be done'.
Attachment to your own point of view blinds you to other possibilities. You can't see anything that doesn't match your point of view. You tend to be very attached to past reference points, and are not willing to take risks. You fail to invite the truth.
The CEO Syndrome causes you to operate with a distorted sense of reality and creates an insulated culture that systematically excludes any information that does not fit or contradicts your point of view.
On the other hand, if you have shown that you are willing to receive all, without judgement, then you will receive all facets of information from many different points of view, as staff will not be worried or concerned about how you will receive it, or the effect this delivery of information will have on them. You have chosen to be conscious and aware.
There are three main tools that will assist in combating the CEO Syndrome:
You recognise that whatever you cannot receive becomes a limitation. When you are unwilling to receive certain points of view, you are functioning from separation, judgment, expectation, projection, and rejection.
This means that you must have no resistance, no rejection, no negation and no refusal of any concept or relationship.
It is necessary to recognise that ‘willingness to receive everything' does not mean you have to allow others to control you or have power over you. Every time you let go of the feeling of unwillingness to receive, you have more power with less exertion and greater emotional sovereignty and resilience.
Here are some examples of unconstructive situations, sentiments, viewpoints and things that may initiate unwillingness to receive for leaders
Resistance is a contraction of awareness; it prevents you from moving ahead in all areas of life, especially in the area of business.
For example, if you are unwilling to receive being judged by other people, you may become overly concerned with other people's points of view. You may become overly concerned with what people think of you.
Unwilling to receive the judgment is quite insidious. It's one of the main things that stops people from having, doing, and being what they want in life.
A key step for cultivating the quality of willingness to receive everything without judgment is the willingness to claim and own the capacity to receive. Stop resisting and reacting to any interaction of anything or anyone.
When you catch yourself resisting and reacting, ask the question "What am I unwilling to receive here?", "What do I create meaningful for me that is stopping me from receiving?", "What would it be like to receive from everybody without judgment or without any point of view?"
Many, however, are caught up in living in their story. This is where people are constantly telling stories, rather than asking questions.
Living in the story is a limitation, so if you find yourself in the middle of telling a story, ask yourself "Where is the question in what I am saying?". This changes the focus so that you can perceive the question that will unlock more potential, rather than a litany of rights and wrongs that make the problem more dense and seemingly unsolvable.
When you are stating and defining the problem, you are operating out of finiteness, not infinite potential - this keeps you in the box, with no way out. This can take your freedom of choice away without you realising it.
If you are constantly living in your story, then others around you will also live in their story, and no creativity or innovation is possible. Others will not provide you with relevant information, as they will perceive you have already made up your mind.
To become conscious of what you are thinking and stating to yourself and others, you may want to take a few moments to reflect on what statements guide you through your day.
What do you think or state to yourself when you awaken in the morning or get ready for work? When you meet with a client or prepare for an important meeting? When you make decisions affecting other people, when people come to you with their problems or when you are in the work environment?
You need to cultivate the attitude of inviting curiosity, of willingness to give up the need for being right, in order to allow the new possibilities to manifest in your business and your life. The key is to be conscious and aware of the quality of your thinking.
Whenever you perceive yourself having negative and unproductive thoughts, you can choose to replace them with more conscious questions.
Questions are powerful magic. A question empowers, whereas an answer most often disempowers and limits. Asking questions allows the answer to manifest by allowing the universe of potential to provide clarity.
Living in the question allows the conscious you to bypass your mental control, and remove judgment, rationalisation and justification. However, if you state the answer is "..........." instead of asking the question, you will instantly limit the possibilities and stop the unlimited answers from manifesting.
If you are able to function in the question, the information you receive, and the quality of the work that your staff provide, will improve beyond measure.
Here are examples of what people often say to themselves when they deal with business issues and concerns: "This is so complicated I don't event know where to start. I can't get my head around the details!! I don't know how to deal with this situation!! I don't know what to do about this problem!! I am so worried; I can't possibly do this!! etc".
If your staff think "I can't do this", are they ever going to be able to do it? Instead of having these unproductive thoughts and being overwhelmed by problems, you can choose to ask the more conscious questions such as "What is it I'm not getting about this? What am I pretending not to know or denying I know about this? What are the infinite possibilities that this will work out much better than we could ever imagine?". "What is the question I should ask here?".
When you ask these types of questions, things start to show up for you in a different way. The more you ask the question, the more aware you become of the options and possibilities you have.
It is essential to avoid having expected outcomes. The key question is, "What are the infinite possibilities in this moment?".
The questions must be asked with genuine wonder, not with attitude and certain expected outcomes. Stop seeking answers; instead put the focus on the questions themselves. Transformation can happen through sincere questioning, because you shift from the zone of lack and limitation and scarcity to the zone of infinite possibilities.
Unconscious leaders who function based on a ‘fixed point of view' are conformist and predictable. These leaders have fixed ideas and quite often they don't know that they can change their point of view.
The regularity of the refrains: "you can't do that" and "this is not the way we do things around here", is indicative of unconscious leaders operating with a fixed point of view.
Fixed point of view boxes you in and limits the potential of your business. You cannot see anything that does not match your point of view. Others will also see this, and will only provide information they know you are willing to receive.
A fixed point of view often gives rise to a fixation with proving that you are right by confirming others to be wrong.
Whenever you have an attachment to being right, you are usually inflicted with intolerance, antagonism and narrow-mindedness. Each time you identify with your point of view, you have to make it right and you automatically and unconsciously try to defend it against others.
The degree to which you are functioning from a fixed point of view is in direct proportion to your inability to innovate.
Source:ceoonline.com
In most cases, they know that these people are not actually dishonest or untrustworthy, but neither are they telling the CEO or Board everything they need to know. They can sense that something is not quite right.
How do you know that the information you receive as staff leader or a Board member is objective and unbiased? What creates the environment where information is regularly filtered, biased or withheld? What can you do to ensure that information you receive is reflective of the actual situation and possibilities, and not created from someone's bias?
This is what we have termed the CEO Syndrome.
The controversy surrounding the CEO Syndrome is that we believe that you, as the person receiving or relying on information, actively create this syndrome for yourself.The type of information that staff and others provide you is a direct result of how you have chosen to receive information in the past, what questions you have asked, and whether you have any fixed points of view.
Every fixed point of view that you have about anything creates the limitations and parameters from which you receive it. Leaders with a fixed point of view often say phrases such as "Oh no, that's not the way it is" and they often focus their attention on the ‘why something can't be done'.
Attachment to your own point of view blinds you to other possibilities. You can't see anything that doesn't match your point of view. You tend to be very attached to past reference points, and are not willing to take risks. You fail to invite the truth.
The CEO Syndrome causes you to operate with a distorted sense of reality and creates an insulated culture that systematically excludes any information that does not fit or contradicts your point of view.
On the other hand, if you have shown that you are willing to receive all, without judgement, then you will receive all facets of information from many different points of view, as staff will not be worried or concerned about how you will receive it, or the effect this delivery of information will have on them. You have chosen to be conscious and aware.
Three tools to combat the CEO Syndrome
So how do you turn this situation around so that you are receiving all relevant information, without filtering, camouflage or omission?There are three main tools that will assist in combating the CEO Syndrome:
- receiving without judgement,
- living in the question, and
- having no fixed point of view.
Tool 1. Receiving without judgement
Receiving involves ‘no resistance'. It is about remaining constantly open, vulnerable and unresisting to any point of view put to you by staff, other leaders or stakeholders.You recognise that whatever you cannot receive becomes a limitation. When you are unwilling to receive certain points of view, you are functioning from separation, judgment, expectation, projection, and rejection.
This means that you must have no resistance, no rejection, no negation and no refusal of any concept or relationship.
It is necessary to recognise that ‘willingness to receive everything' does not mean you have to allow others to control you or have power over you. Every time you let go of the feeling of unwillingness to receive, you have more power with less exertion and greater emotional sovereignty and resilience.
Here are some examples of unconstructive situations, sentiments, viewpoints and things that may initiate unwillingness to receive for leaders
- Not wanting to deal with the crisis
- Resisting having, being, or doing something
- Fretting about how things ought to be
- Predicting the future and mind reading
- Not wanting to make mistakes
- Overestimating the chances of failure and misfortune
- Things in your life or business you don't like and want to change
- Being stuck with a problem and feeling fearful of the consequences
Resistance is a contraction of awareness; it prevents you from moving ahead in all areas of life, especially in the area of business.
For example, if you are unwilling to receive being judged by other people, you may become overly concerned with other people's points of view. You may become overly concerned with what people think of you.
Unwilling to receive the judgment is quite insidious. It's one of the main things that stops people from having, doing, and being what they want in life.
A key step for cultivating the quality of willingness to receive everything without judgment is the willingness to claim and own the capacity to receive. Stop resisting and reacting to any interaction of anything or anyone.
When you catch yourself resisting and reacting, ask the question "What am I unwilling to receive here?", "What do I create meaningful for me that is stopping me from receiving?", "What would it be like to receive from everybody without judgment or without any point of view?"
Tool 2: Living in the question
Living in the question is a most powerful tool that enables us to perceive outside a fixed and limited view of reality, beyond the limited and illusive content of thought. You are able to create your life more consciously. You open up possibilities and are able to function from creativity.Many, however, are caught up in living in their story. This is where people are constantly telling stories, rather than asking questions.
Living in the story is a limitation, so if you find yourself in the middle of telling a story, ask yourself "Where is the question in what I am saying?". This changes the focus so that you can perceive the question that will unlock more potential, rather than a litany of rights and wrongs that make the problem more dense and seemingly unsolvable.
When you are stating and defining the problem, you are operating out of finiteness, not infinite potential - this keeps you in the box, with no way out. This can take your freedom of choice away without you realising it.
If you are constantly living in your story, then others around you will also live in their story, and no creativity or innovation is possible. Others will not provide you with relevant information, as they will perceive you have already made up your mind.
To become conscious of what you are thinking and stating to yourself and others, you may want to take a few moments to reflect on what statements guide you through your day.
What do you think or state to yourself when you awaken in the morning or get ready for work? When you meet with a client or prepare for an important meeting? When you make decisions affecting other people, when people come to you with their problems or when you are in the work environment?
You need to cultivate the attitude of inviting curiosity, of willingness to give up the need for being right, in order to allow the new possibilities to manifest in your business and your life. The key is to be conscious and aware of the quality of your thinking.
Whenever you perceive yourself having negative and unproductive thoughts, you can choose to replace them with more conscious questions.
Questions are powerful magic. A question empowers, whereas an answer most often disempowers and limits. Asking questions allows the answer to manifest by allowing the universe of potential to provide clarity.
Living in the question allows the conscious you to bypass your mental control, and remove judgment, rationalisation and justification. However, if you state the answer is "..........." instead of asking the question, you will instantly limit the possibilities and stop the unlimited answers from manifesting.
If you are able to function in the question, the information you receive, and the quality of the work that your staff provide, will improve beyond measure.
Here are examples of what people often say to themselves when they deal with business issues and concerns: "This is so complicated I don't event know where to start. I can't get my head around the details!! I don't know how to deal with this situation!! I don't know what to do about this problem!! I am so worried; I can't possibly do this!! etc".
If your staff think "I can't do this", are they ever going to be able to do it? Instead of having these unproductive thoughts and being overwhelmed by problems, you can choose to ask the more conscious questions such as "What is it I'm not getting about this? What am I pretending not to know or denying I know about this? What are the infinite possibilities that this will work out much better than we could ever imagine?". "What is the question I should ask here?".
When you ask these types of questions, things start to show up for you in a different way. The more you ask the question, the more aware you become of the options and possibilities you have.
It is essential to avoid having expected outcomes. The key question is, "What are the infinite possibilities in this moment?".
The questions must be asked with genuine wonder, not with attitude and certain expected outcomes. Stop seeking answers; instead put the focus on the questions themselves. Transformation can happen through sincere questioning, because you shift from the zone of lack and limitation and scarcity to the zone of infinite possibilities.
Example of questions for use in business
- What is it going to take to get this or to create this or to have this?
- What is it going to take for this to happen?
- What is it that I won't allow the business to have that will give the business and everyone else concerned the most expansion?
- What is it going to take to make this .......a total success?
Tool 3: Interesting point of view
Every point of view that you have created about anything creates the limitations and parameters from which you are able to receive information about it. Cultivating a frame of mind of "everything is an interesting point of view" will allow you to perceive beyond a fixed and limited view of reality, knowing outside the content of thought.Unconscious leaders who function based on a ‘fixed point of view' are conformist and predictable. These leaders have fixed ideas and quite often they don't know that they can change their point of view.
The regularity of the refrains: "you can't do that" and "this is not the way we do things around here", is indicative of unconscious leaders operating with a fixed point of view.
Fixed point of view boxes you in and limits the potential of your business. You cannot see anything that does not match your point of view. Others will also see this, and will only provide information they know you are willing to receive.
A fixed point of view often gives rise to a fixation with proving that you are right by confirming others to be wrong.
Whenever you have an attachment to being right, you are usually inflicted with intolerance, antagonism and narrow-mindedness. Each time you identify with your point of view, you have to make it right and you automatically and unconsciously try to defend it against others.
The degree to which you are functioning from a fixed point of view is in direct proportion to your inability to innovate.
Letting go of the fixed point of view
One way to approach the process of letting go of a fixed point of view is by choosing to destroy and uncreate that fixed point view.- Identify your limiting beliefs and your fixed points of view. Once
you've identified what your fixed points of view are, you need to catch
yourself in the act of having those fixed points of view and recognise
them for what they are. You can repeat to yourself "Interesting point of
view that I have this point of view". This will take out the attachment
energy you have on the point of view and free you from it.
- Identify when staff are functioning from a fixed point of view, and
raise their awareness by questioning about other possibilities. If they
strongly resist and react, then they are still functioning from a fixed
point of view, which can be dangerous for the business through denying
other possibilities. Receive without judgement, live in the question,
and treat it as just an interesting point of view. Do not buy their
reality.
- Having brought your or your staff's fixed point of view into awareness, you now can choose to let it go by destroying and uncreating all of the attachments you or your staff have on it. You can also affirm that "I am choosing to destroy and uncreate all of my fixed points of view (or my judgment) about __________".
Summary
The CEO Syndrome is pervasive in many businesses, and has been a major cause of many corporate collapses, including some of the most recent. The environment that creates the CEO Syndrome is a choice made by the organisational leaders about whether they choose to be conscious, unconscious or anticonscious. You have that choice also. Choose.Source:ceoonline.com
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