The Pursuit of Excellence and Legacy Creation

THE BOOK, THE POWER OF PRESENCE

This essay is about the mechanics of the mind where a range of ruminations, machinations, and imaginations are all in conflict at the same time. This area of study – how daily right-brain thinking (e.g. mindfulness) builds resilience, sophistication, and superior functioning in the left brain (e.g. cognition) – is in its early stages because it involves many different disciplines coming together. So good on us for exploring a subject area that has far-reaching implications for individuals, organizations, institutions, think-tanks, and society alike.

Here is a simple but uncomfortable truth: Many leaders and executives don’t have a “decision-making” problem per se. Rather they have a “thinking-wisely” problem. As well, they usually are not acutely aware of their thinking while making important decisions. Yes, they have been trained to follow a 10-step process:

(1) Listen carefully.

(2) Clarify key aspects.

(3) Identify a potential problem.

(4) Define it in detail.

(5) Gather relevant data.

(6) Evaluate.

(7) Consult.

(8) Debate.

(9) Explore options. And finally

(10) decide on a particular solution.

Then develop a detailed action plan to implement the solution. Note, not all of these steps have equal importance on a scale of one to five. On paper, the process is rational, linear, and often perfunctory. But in reality, this process is being filtered at every step through something far more powerful: The mental state of the decision-maker themselves. Organizations don’t need a “no-brainer” approach to important decision-making at the executive level that only takes them backward instead of forward.

Let me ask: When you are making a high-stakes decision, are you calm … or are you pressured? Are you clear … or are you cluttered? Are you present … or are you possessed? Because if you are not actively aware of your habitual thinking, then your thinking is driving you. At the highest levels of leadership, this is the distinction that changes everything: Think “reactive” leadership versus “intentional” deliberation.

Reactive leaders: Often solve non-problems; botch solving serious problems; over-compensate for noise; under-estimate risk; burn valuable energy; create confusion and instability.

Intentional leaders: See the problem clearly; act calmly and precisely; conserve energy; produce consistent results; create confidence, commitment, respect, and stability.

Consider these four points in the decision-making process.

First: Problem definition. If you don’t accurately define the problem, you may solve a problem that doesn’t actually exist. Because you assume, you react and because you react, you rush.

Second: Interpretation. Two executives can look at the same data and arrive at completely different conclusions. Why? Because data itself does not drive decisions; interpretation drives decisions. And interpretation is shaped by your prior experiences, namely your biases, hopes, fears, and your ego.

Third: Evaluation. This is where short-term thinking is the enemy of longer-term planning, where risk is minimized on paper but amplified in reality. Or vice-versa. 

Fourth: Commitment. Many leaders hesitate. Or at least they don’t commit 100% to the solution. As a result, many decisions are failing ones.

But there is even a deeper layer. The one that separates average and good executives from exceptional ones. At any moment in this process, you are operating in one of two states: The “active conscious” mind or the calm, clear, and more open not “over-thinking” one. In the active mind, thoughts are constant; attention is fragmented; the ego is in control; and you are reacting, not leading. There is always pressure. Sometimes even panic. And noise of all kind is coming from various directions causing you to hesitate.

In the calm mind, there is space. There is stillness. There is awareness. There is wisdom. And from that state, you see what others often miss. You respond instead of react. You simplify complexity. You evaluate carefully. You act with precision. The take-away? The quality of your consciousness each moment determines the quality of your decisions each day. We live and work in a world that is defined by uncertainty, complexity, and constant change. Many leaders respond to this complexity with more thinking. More analysis. More effort. More force. And very often with more hope than reasonable certainty.

Strangely, at least for some, the solution comes not from more thinking but from less thinking. It comes from stepping out of the noise and clutter of everyday thought long enough to see more clearly. This is called the power of Presence. Presence is not a philosophy, it is a performance-advantage technique. It allows you to interrupt automatic, recycled old thinking, see beyond personal bias, and make more creative, faster, and wiser decisions. And here is the paradox: When your mind is still, you are more focused, extraneous noise is reduced, and the thinking process is not distracted by unimportant, extraneous factors. As a result, your thinking is of a higher quality.

As of today, I want you to consider three things:

First, where in the decision-making process are you overlooking some unpleasant aspects of your usual way of thinking and hence are often unnecessarily rushing to judgment?

Second, where might your thinking be influenced by irrelevant inside / outside pressure, unhealthy habits, fixed beliefs, ingrained biases, or the often destructive and distracting ego?

Third, how often are you truly present when it really matters? Never? One percent of the time? Ten percent? Because, in the end, you either rise to the level of your core competences or you fall to the level of your habitual thinking.

When you master your thinking, you take control of

your decisions. When you take control of your decisions, you

define not just your performance but you also build your legacy,

and not only as an executive but also as a person, with a family,

who lives in a community, believes in … etc., etc.

_______________

When you become present and allow what is to be,

you enter the realm of pure consciousness that has heretofore

been hidden from your view. In this place of stillness,

a deep sense of peace overcomes, surrounds, and envelopes you.

You feel great peace, unlimited love, and profound joy.

You have connected with your essence, your Source, the infinite.

Now all things good will be made known to you, and

all things good will be possible by you.

Thank you.