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Move Your Iceberg!

Guest post by: Michael Hume

Article Overview: How do you make a meaningful change in your life? That's the million-dollar question. Without that question, there would be no executive coaching or personal development industry, and I'd be out of business. Nevertheless, I'm going to answer the question, right here, right now. And chances are you're still going to want more brilliant advice from professionals like me....

Move Your Iceberg!

Inspirational Leadership Can Motivate Positive Action How do you make a meaningful change in your life?

That's the million-dollar question. Without that question, there would be no executive coaching or personal development industry, and I'd be out of business. Nevertheless, I'm going to answer the question, right here, right now. And chances are you're still going to want more brilliant advice from professionals like me!

Here's a useful metaphor: think of yourself as a sort of iceberg. There we all are, floating around out there in the sea of our lives. We'd be chilly, but we aren't... because we're icebergs.

When others view us, they only see the little bit of us that exists above the waterline. In this metaphor, that's our behavior. It's the set of actions we take publicly every day, week, and month. And that's the part of their lives almost every client I've coached to excellence has wanted to change.

Depending upon your personality type, you might want to move your iceberg (make changes to your actions) "from the top." Roughly a third of the population have a characteristic to their personalities which makes them what type psychologists call "Sensors." They are practical, real-world, here-and-now types. They like to make lists, and they like precision in communication and action. So if you're a Sensor, you might want to move your iceberg from the top, meaning you might want to make your changes by simply committing yourself to a set of new habits and sticking to them until they become "natural" for you. Studies show that a disciplined approach to new behavioral habits can make the change "stick" after about three weeks of consistent committed action.

For every Sensor out there, there are two "Intuitors," who pay attention to very different change cues than do Sensors. While Sensors trust their five physical senses and the information they provide in the present, Intuitors trust more their "sixth sense," including their imagination of the future and their detailed memories of the past. Intuitors might be less practical, but more originally-creative, than their Sensing colleagues. Before they embark on the lofty pursuit of changing their behaviors and actions, they need a real "why." If you're an Intuitor, you'll have better luck if you move your iceberg from the bottom, focusing first on transforming all the stuff below the surface (hidden from others) to which your visible behaviors are irremovably attached: your values, your beliefs, your emotional and psychological needs, and so forth. Many experts refer to this hidden stuff as the "paradigm," or "mindset."

Sensors start with behavior. Intuitors start with mindset.

I once took a turn managing our co-ed recreational softball team. We were not awesome, but I thought we could definitely get better if we would actually go out and practice some. So we did. And I immediately could spot the Sensors and the Intuitors on the team. One Sensor loved practice even more than the games themselves. He wanted to practice his moves, his throws, his fielding, his batting... over and over. He even came to practice with a list of five skills he wanted to improve, and at least three drills to recommend for each skill. That's the Sensor way. Sensors love to practice various actions and behaviors, working to perfect those habits, and they are tenacious in their discipline. One clear Intuitor on the team, by contrast, would not even try some of the drills I proposed unless I was able to make a clear case for the drill which might even stand up in a court of law. "Let's get into threes and practice quickly fielding grounders, like this," I'd say. "Why?" she asked. "Well, to build muscle memory around scooping the ball off the ground." "Why?" "Um, so we react more quickly and automatically when a grounder comes our way during a game." "Why do you think this will work?"

You get the picture.

By the way, neither player performed consistently better or worse during actual games... neither the Sensor nor the Intuitor has the "right" personality type for optimal performance, be it on the sporting ground or in the conference room. Either type can successfully make changes in their lives and work. So whatever your type, you can successfully move your iceberg, if you take personal responsibility for doing so. And this is true for any endeavor, from staying healthy to driving your business and your wealth.

If you're a leader, you can exercise more inspirational leadership by demonstrating your understanding that everyone's different, and the members of your team are all likely to improve differently. Hold everyone to high standards, but don't expect them all to get there on the same developmental pathway.

Take inventory of your own personality (I can help you professionally with that, if you like). Are you a Sensor, or an Intuitor? Since all of us have both types within us (but tend to prefer one or the other to varying degrees), you have lots of options for moving your own iceberg. And understanding that some combination of disciplined habit-forming and imaginative mindset development will get you the best, quickest progress in your pursuit of self-improvement.

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Article Tags: entrepreneurship, health wealth and happiness, inspirational leadership, personal responsibility



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