“He who has not reached his destination never gets tired.” Kenyan proverb
Feeling challenged in what we do is a major motivator. It is like hiking a mountain: our blood starts circulating and our energy rises.
For myself, if challenges do not come my way, I have to create them to keep my blood flowing! A recent challenge I created for myself was to give a speech without the use of notes. During my last speech in a Public Speaking Club the evaluator had heavily criticized my use of notes. I did not like the feedback and I found it painful but later on I was able to shift myself and reframe the issue as a challenge. Despite being convinced that I have a poor memory, I told myself that I must be able to deliver a speech by heart, out of the comfort zone of my notes. I delivered it yesterday evening and it went fine. Obviously there is much room for improvement but now I know I can do it. It unlocked something inside me.
As leaders we have many opportunities to face challenges. We do not need to create a challenge for ourselves in our evening club! A key role of a leader is to drive change and innovation. We need to survey and map external and internal realities and based on this look out for improvements and new opportunities. We need to create new initiatives and ways of doing things that challenge the status quo, our behaviors and our ways of viewing the world. This may mean moving out of what we know well, out of what we have tested and tried. It may be daunting at times, as it may mean taking risks and moving into new territory.
A perspective change can be helpful here. When we see such initiatives and change processes as challenges and opportunities rather than daunting obstacles or risks, we can look at them as key motivators for ourselves. In this way change and risk taking can become stimulating and energizing. Some of us may be better at this than others, as we have different levels of competency around creativity and risk taking. But ultimately, all of us can find ways of unlocking our potential through challenging ourselves and through looking at change through the lens of exploration and discovery.
As a leader we do not just want to challenge ourselves but also need to enable others to challenge themselves to unlock their potential and resourcefulness. “Often the critical difference is a leader who sees untapped energy and skill in the existing group and who assumes that excellence can be achieved.” (Kouzes, Posner, 2002, P. 197) Most people mobilize energy and use previously untapped skills and competencies when they are faced with a challenge, when they are asked to solve a problem or start a new project or process. It motivates them, as they feel they use their potential and they grow.
How can we do it? There is no roadmap for this. It is ultimately a perspective we chose for ourselves and a perspective we enable others to hold for themselves. When the fear of the unknown, of the hurdles and of the possible embarrassment sets in, we may feel paralyzed and exposed at the very core of our being. Yesterday evening, when I moved up to the speaker’s desk, my heart was beating so loud that I thought everybody was hearing it. But once I had moved forward, I was able to deliver what I had challenged myself to do. Once we face our fear, it eventually shrinks and fades. Next time I will surely still be full of fear but it will be a little less ….
References: Kouzes, J.B., Posner, B. Z., (2002). The Leadership Challenge, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass