Managing the Self
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Transcript of Managing the Self
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Managing the SelfThe aim of self managing leadership is to learn how to better manage the inner organization as a
means for more effective leadership of the external organization and develop a practical self-
management plan so that one can get the best out of oneself and others too.
As the external environment changes fast, the importance of self-management increases. It is
hardly possible to manage the external environment with the existing setup anymore. There has
traditionally been a view of management that if you could manage the external environment then
you could manage the change successfully. But the experience is that it is not always possible to
manage the external environment. The emphasis has shifted from the external to the internal i.e.
towards managing our inner environment that is, harnessing our inner resources which we have
so far tended to neglect. We can consciously create our future on the basis of guiding values and
a focused vision of the future or we can sit back and be driven by the external situations and
circumstances.
Life in the present time is a sea-going adventure, like a voyage undertaken by Christopher
Columbus. The challenge says in setting off into the unknown, without any maps and he was not
aware of the type of journey that he was undertaking. He was also not aware of the turbulent
times that he would have to go through, charting new territory and finding a safe passage through
storms and heavy seas. He was not even aware of the wild sea-creatures that might be after him,
much less of the silently moving undercurrents of the ocean. The only thing he had with him was
a compass which gave him a constant direction and showed him in which direction he was
moving and with the help of the compass, he was successful to certain extent. Likewise, we also
have started out for an unknown future in this age of uncertainty and we have no clear maps. We
are not aware of the turbulent times we would have to go through, and finding a safe passagethrough the storms and hurricanes of life. We are also not aware of the type of creatures that we
may have to deal with and who may be after us. We are not even aware of the silently moving
undercurrents within our own inner organisation. The worst part is we do not even have a
compass that can tell us whether we are moving in the right direction or not. Therefore, we are
totally at the mercy of crisis. It is time to build up the personal resources which are required if we
want to do better than merely cope with contemporary life, and do more than simply react to
events as they unfold. The challenge is to re-define, re-invent and re-orient ourselves for the
future.
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In this present time, there are three key propositions:
1. There is no turning backThings are not going to go back to the stable patterns of the past and we will see a world
characterised by fierce global competition. Competition begins when a child starts goingto school and he has to struggle for survival in the highly competitive world till the last
breath of his life. In order to survive in this competition we need to have a great mental
presence, an alert state of mind, a lot of creativity and also intuition to act at the right
time.
2. We must find new bearingsIt is felt that only those people will succeed who have a realistic approach and a highly
developed sense as to where they are headed and what they stand for. So, we need to
have a clear focus about our organisational mission, vision and values so as to steerthrough the changing times and direct towards achieving it. Further we make it fully clear
to all the people working in the organisation that each one understands where we as an
organisation are headed to and what the organisation stands for. Similarly, we have to be
equally clear about our personal mission, vision and values, wher am I heading and what
I stand for so that I can align my personal mission, vision and values with the
organisational mission, vision and values and lead a meaningful or purposeful role in its
success. If I am not aware of my personal mission, vision and values then I would be
constantly experiencing stress, inner conflicts and a lot of confusion within my own self
and it would be very difficult to contribute to the achievement of the organisational
mission and vision.
I have an electric cord with me and I can tie the electric cord from one corner of my
garden to the other corner and hang my washed clothes on it and nobody can object to as
it is none of their business. But is that the purpose of the electric cord. To hang the
washed clothes is not the purpose of the electric cord. The purpose of the electric cord is
to transmit electric energy. As such, when I use it for its actual purpose I get the benefit,
happiness and contentment.
Similarly, I can spend my life in the way I want to, but is that the purpose of life. When
I spend my life on the basis of its real value with a clear focus and there is no confusion,
stress or anxiety about it, there is satisfaction in life and I lead a meaningful, purposefullife also.
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3. We require different skillsNew and different capabilities are required to be effective in this changing
environment. These are not just the technical or functional skills but they are the self-
managing skills like intuition, flexibility, clear focus, tolerance etc And nobody canteach me how to achieve these but they have to be developed or tapped through proper
understanding about the self.
SELF MANAGEMENT
(Doing)
PHYSICALStress
Mgt, Diet, Exercise,Nutrition, Health &
Safety
(Thinking)
(Feeling)
MENTALIntellectual
development, Mind power,
Creativity, Innovation,
Learning, Studing,
Reading.
(Being)
SPIRITUAL
Values, Beliefs,
Spiritual Study,
Silence, Meditation,
Self Esteem, Innate
Power
SOCIALEmotional
development, Psychologicalassessment, Quality circles, T-
Group Team work, TA.
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In any management training programme, development of various aspects of human resources
like, the physical, mental, and emotional or social are taken care of, to tap the inner potential to
the maximum.
For the development of the physical aspect where the doing capacities are connected, ther are
various programmes relating to stress management, health, safety, nutrition, diet etc.
Likewise, ther are many programmes for the development of ones mental capacities like:
intellectual development programme, mind power, creativity, innovation, learning, studying
etc which deal with our thinking abilities?
Further, as we are social beings and we are emotionally connected with each other, there are
developments programmes like. Psychological assessment, Transactional analysis, Quality
circles, Team work etc.,
But we find that the missing dimension is Spiritual which is intimately connected with the
being. We are all human beings but hardly do we know how to be. We are more of human doings
than human beings. Spirituality is not connected with any religious dogmas; spirituality is
connected with our innate values, innate power, self respect, self esteem, developing the belief in
the self, enhancing the will-power through meditation and relaxation techniques and the power to
apply the spiritual insights practically.
Man+Age+Men+TWe always want to manage others, manage men, money, market, material, machines etc Butalways forget the man within and therefore it is said that the man is before the men. If I do not
know how to manage myself, how can I manage others?
How do I manage myself?The word age in the word management teach me the tact. Age does refer to the physical age
but it also refers to the courage or self-confidence. Just as we have the courage to direct others as
to what they should be doing, why they should be doing and how they should be doing, similarly,
are we able to direct our sense organs with proper understanding of these aspects.
Just take the example of the short tongue. Are we able to truly manage our tongue? There is a
beautiful saying that this tongue has no bones but it can break bones if not managed properly.
Similarly, for the ears we need information every moment but are we able to analyse the
information and take accurate decisions. On most occasions, the information slips through the
tongue in the wrong place, at the wrong time, in front of the wrong person and one cannot avoid
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the consequences that arise. Then this is the difficulty in managing oneself. If I am not able to
take the responsibility of managing my own sense-organs, how can I take up the responsbility of
managing my life, my family or my workplace and maintain a balance in all the different areas of
my life? In short therefore, we need the courage to manage our own selves.
Age also means maturity. We need the maturity in the cause, when to manage,whereto manage, how to manage, to what extent we have to manage and in which way we have to
manage. If we do not have the maturity or understanding, then it would be difficult to survive as
we can easily become victims.
Age also means experience. In this creative age, we cannot depend on the past
experience always. We have to create new experiences with changing times. It is said,
experience is the best teacher but if we start depending upon them and get stuck and are not
willing to adapt ourselves with the changing environment, we are not able to build ourselves with
new experiencesthe experience may be killing us at times. So, we should have the maturity to
think where to use the required experiences and in which way.
There are some people who are like the fish who have an access to working in a
particular way and have developed certain patterns and they were successful before by using
those methods, but as time changes they are not willing to change and they use the same old
styles, put all the effort and try their level best but cannot achieve results and then they dont
understand what has come in the way. Finally, they give up thinking they cannot be successful
anymore. After a while, somebody else comes, does the job in a simple way and achieves results
and moves forward. That is where great frustration develops which depending on those
experiences, virtually kills them.
Therefore, we have to manage the self with courage, maturity and creative experiences
through the changing times and manage others through the inspirations and by being an example
in front of them. The challenge is to re-define, re-invent and re-orient ourselves for thw future so
that we can lead change creatively.
Management with Hands, Head and HeartWe cannot change the consciousness of the organisation without changing the
consciousness of the people working within the organisation. According to the need of time, theorganisations managed on the basis of American system or the Japanese system, used to move
forward. But, today even these systems do not seem to work.
If we go into the history of management, the locomotive of economic change affecting
every organisation of the world was either America or Japan.
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Following the Second World War, most of Europe was heavily devastated in one way or
the other and it provided an opportunity to rebuild and reconstruct.
The Japanese economy and the Japanese industry was flattened and it gave Japan a chance
to start again.
In America, the situation was different. Its industry was fairly intact although it suffered a
loss of many lives. But in gearing up after the 2nd
world war, industry went through s huge
chsnge. When the America generals came back home they had two things with them. They had
earned a lot of money during the war and knew that after the war, there would not be another war
immediately. Secondly, they were literate people. It was the first time; an educated working class
was emerging in setting up industries. The way in which the economic formula was used for
growth and development was one which encouraged the production and credit arrangements. The
management system adopted by them was more like military style where the commands and
controls were in their hands and as they would command the people down the line had to follow.
As the people were not literate, they asked the people to come with their hands to work Theysaid, come with your hands and we shall use our heads. The two main criteria of that time were
stability and growth as the commands and controls were in the hands of one. This was the
American system of management with the Taylorist approach, and was also known as the
pyramid stylea much centralised decision making. It was perfect for stability and permanent
growth. This system of management successfully went on for about 30 years.
But, after that period, the criteria for the world became exactly the opposite. Unstability
and recession, particularly in the western countries, followed where the market started
contracting and so they shifted the industries from the West to the East as the labour costs in the
East werelow. The social laws in the Eastern countries are without protection, without rules andregulations and it was easy to get the product at cheaper rates without providing any social
security resulting in social dumping.
The organisational world wants the hearts of the people, i.e. the organisation wants self-
motivated, committed and responsible people. How do we get people motivated and committed?
We need to identify their values in order to get motivated, committed and responsible people.
Therefore, the cultures with very deep spiritual roots like India have competitive advantage
which is now being realised even by the present day management gurus who are trying to find
some solutions to the organisational problems from the Indian ethics and its spiritual wisdom.
Some five thousand years ago, India had an ancient cultural heritage of gurukul. In this
gurukul Sri Ram and Sri Krishna also went for their education. What were they taught in this
gurukul? Through the spiritual insights the guru guided them to identify their value-system and
function on the basis of those values. They were taught the art of self-management so that when
they take the reins of their kingdom in their own hands, they rule the kingdom with
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responsibility, commitment and at the same time be motivated to lead and inspire their subjects
through their own example.
Motivation cannot come from outside and it is for this reason that it has been realised
that nobody can motivate anybody else. The motivation has to come from within; it cannot be
taught.
How do we bring ones heart at the workplace or how do we bring a change in hisconsciousness?Consciousness changes with a flow of new information. And, sometimes the
information we get is very subtle but it gives a competitive advantage.
For example:
In the Olympics, the difference between the first winner and second is marginal but the first is
remembered and the second is forgotten.
Similarly, in the world you can create your space just because of your smile. Therefore,
one need to have a sharp understanding of which situation is right now and what it will be in five
minutes and what are the means required to face the new situation and be safe and then take
precautions for safety in order to be successful. If one doesnt have the information about the
changing situation he cannot be successful. Information helps to change our way of thinking and
helps in taking decisions. In the Taylorist system, because the decision-making was centralized,
the level of understanding information was not really important and there was no need. But inmodern times,people have to be more knowledgeful or informative in order to enhance their
level of discernment and their capability to take decisions. It is only then there is motivation to
do and a commitement to take up the responsibility.
What do we need to start the wheel of self motivation?The two key words are self-confidence and self-satisfaction. Self-confidence brings
self-motivation and there is job satisfaction. But what are the roots of confidence. There is no
confidence without will power. When we have the will power we get the will power? Knowledge
is power, so knowledge or information about a particular subject generates the inner strength and
confidence. Knowledge has to be digested well in order to get the strength. If the knowledge is
mere information in our heads and not digested and brought down to the level of understanding,
we cannot have the power or strength. Knowledge at the level of knowing is different from the
knowledge brought to the level of understanding and being. So when we have knowledge, we
have the will-power, and the confidence. On the basis of the confidence, we have the courage to
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take the initiative to do something and bring about a change. When we master that change, there
is job satisfaction. Satisfaction is the most important factor for incentive and motivation. It
enriches us with valuable experience which adds to our understanding and enhances our
knowledge which in turn gives us more power and this is how the wheel of self motivation starts.
This induces us to take up responsibility and commit ourselves. When people enjoy their activity,
they spontaneously try to get more and more information. But in the initial stage, if we lack in
information, we dont have the requisite power, confidence and courage to take the initiative to
bring about a change and then there is no job satisfaction as there is stagnancy. Thus, there is no
enjoyment and satisfaction because there is no feeling of progress and self-development. The
motivation is also affected and life becomes a mechanical process.
The Practical problem in todays world is that people are not willing to part with
complete information; that means that they do not want to give the power and so how can we
expect people to work with responsibility without adequate information or knowledge, which
results in resistance and a reactive focus is created.
But, when we take in information we have to be very selective and capable to filter that
information, otherwise, instead of being motivated, we may get into a vicious cycle. We need to
be self-empowered to take in the correct inforamtion to enhance our knowledge and
understanding; otherwise we bring about a temporary change at the superficial level only. We are
not able to bring a permanent change from the consciousness level or at a deeper level.
There are various levels of change. The most superficial gross form of change is at the
behavioural level, that is, to bring about change in our actions or activities.
The second level of change is at the intellectual level when we start understandingthings in a different way.
How do we manage the inner mechanisms?At the roots level, that is bringing a change in the consciousness. Consciousness means
the state of mind. To change the consciousness means to change our thinking process. Think in a
different way. How do we think in a different way? It is a cycle. Consciousness or the state of the
mind is formed on the basis of thought pattern. What stimulates the thinking? Circumstances,
situations, desires, needs, environmentall these are registered in the memory. It is from the
memory that the mind gets the stimulation. Just as whatever we feed in the computer is stored in
the memory, similarly, the human memory is alikewhatever we perceive through the senses
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about the environment, the circumstances, the needs or crisiseverything is then registered in
the memory. Then, according to the time or need the thought process starts.
Where do we break this vicious cycle? We all know that without our conscious
awareness the memory is absorbing maximum negative input. Where do we bring the change
from? According to psychologists, human memory is so powerful in the early morning hours thatit absorbs the inputs like a blotting paper. Some people have the capacity to absorb for half an
hour, for some it is 45minutes, one hour, two hours, three hours, depending from individual to
individual. When the memory reaches a saturated state, it does not absorb any further. We have
to be selective, especially in the early morning hours when the memory is in a high state of
absorbing. As such we have to be cautious of the quality of nourishment we are giving to our
memory, because accordingly our entire system will function. When I nourish my mind with
healthy positive inputs, I empower my self. Spiritual dimension thus enables one to empower the
self which is the only source from where we get quality information or knowledge. Knowledge
generates will power and we can thus take the focus of control in our own hands. Once we are
self-empowered, we look at the problems and situations in a different way and instead of being
influenced and coontrolled by them; we can manage them in a better way so as to easily control
them. We can maintain a positive attitude, a positive thinking process and deal accordingly. This
is how we manage our complete inner mechanishm.
Managing ChangeIn rapidly changing times, the challenge to our organisation is to provide a framework for
people to understang their journey through change, so that they can contribute their best to theorganisation. In order to play a leadership role or as agents of change within the organisation, we
must be able to bring about significant changes in our own inner organisation. As the external
environment changes fast, the importance of self-management increases. It is hardly possible to
control the external environment, anymore. The emphasis has accordingly shifted towards
managing our inner environment that is to harness our inner resources which we have tended to
neglect. The future of our organisation rests on the autonomy, maturity and confidence of our
people. Many have been trained with particular technical and functional-oriented skills and they
were promoted on the basis of it. They were fine in a relatively stable world, but not in a chaotic
world. The skills and abilities that are required now, are how to lead through a never ending
process of change? How to be calm and confident in the face of upheavals?
Change is a continuous process. We have to move along with the changing tomes
constantly. As we are moving through rapidly changing times, if we are not able to change and
empower ourselves from within, it will become very difficult for us to survive.
There are three things that we need to manage any change process. They are
knowledge, that is, an understanding of what to change and why to change? Second is the desire
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to change or the will to change and third are the skills that show us how to change. When we
have these three ingredients, any change process can be accurate. But, if any two are there and
the third ingredient is missing, change cannot take place in the manner we want to. Supposing I
know what to change and why to change, that is, I have the understanding, I also know how to
change that is I have the skills as well, but there is no desire or will to do the needful, no change
can ever take place. Similarly, at times we have the desire to do, that is, we want to change, we
also know how to change that is, we have the required skills, but, we dont know why we should
change, that is, there is no clear understanding, then also change cannot take place. So all the
three are equally important for any change process to practically happen.
Change adopted in a systematic method according to the need of the hour brings
enthusiasm and newness. It is not that people do not want newness or they are very fond of the
old ways. In the present time, we find wherever people get togetherwhat they talk to one
another? The theme of their talk generally is change. Sometimes people discuss about the
change in the government and its policies or change in systems and structures, sometimes they
would want the society and people or the elders or the young generations to change their way of
thinking, at times they feel that there should be a change in the traditions, rituals or customs and
the cultures adopted, or that there should be a change in the total environment. Thus everyone
wants everything else to change, except his own self. He does not wish to become a role-model
for others and take up an initiative to lead others through the change process and when one does
not want to change himself, no change can ever take place.
Sometimes, the people want to change but, the situation is like the trapeze artists in a
circus. We have seen the trapeze artists entertaining peoplethey swing from one rod and go to
the other rod, and let go off the first rod as they catch hold of the other rod. Again they swing on
the other rod and when another rod comes, they change over. They have this art of changing
from one and jumping to the other. It is this skill of changing that entertains people. But,
supposing if he lets go off one rod and is not able to catch hold of the other rod, he falls; or
supposing he is afraid and he wants to hold the first rod and at the same time he also wants to
catch hold of the other rod as well then also he fails in his job and cannot entertain the people.
Whenever we want to introduce change in an organization, people should be clearly
informed to develop a clear focus. But many times we find people are often asked to do things,
without any explanation as to why they are doing, or what it is all about. This creates stress and
feelings of insecurity. When people are under stress, they act in a different way and often they
develop fear of losing something. Mostly resistance to changes comes from insecurity caused by
lack of information. Therefore, we have to clarify what people would be gaining from the
process so that the fear of insecurity is not there. Otherwise, people will continue to do what
theyve done before as long as it works. It is only when they are faced with the realization that
the way they have been used to solve the problem it is no longer working or it is too painful and
unpleasant, that they start thinking about doing something in a creative manner. So we need to
make people realize that the old way with which they are working is no longer going to work and
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they need to readjust their way of thinking about the task in hand. But, when people are under
stress and worried they tend to retreat into their own private world and are not willing to work
together as a team because of the feeling of insecurity they have developed and it takes time for
them to re-build the trust. Hence, we have to be sensitive to the underlying feelings of the
members of the team. We cant just assume that everyone is sharing the same level of
commitment to change. We have to listen to those who are negative and resistant, as probably
they may have good reasons for it. If we force change on such people, they will handle it only for
a short time and then start rebelling. So to avoid this situation, we have to involve people in the
change process and let them set their own limits. In majority of cases it is experienced that when
change is forced on people without clear information, they revert back to their old behavior as
soon as the pressure is taken off. The lesson as such is, dont try to change people by force, give
them the information, inspiration and time and allow them to change themselves.
Normally, whenever time has demanded change from people there are 5 types of
people with 5 types of reactions towards change. These are,
People who resist change. People who try to flee away from change. People who ignore change. People who deny, they dont want to change. People who embrace change and adopt it in the way it comes.
There are two ways to change. The hard way and the easy way.
The hard way is where we are forced to change. If we are slow to change, the real world forcesus to re-think and we are forced into making adjustments, which are not always pleasant. Many
people have this experience. On the other hand, change can be exhilarating when we take up the
challenge of being pro-active and plan to change before time. The best time for change is when
we are changing and growing and learning. When we are at peak performance and the level of
satisfaction is high, everybody would like to grow and learn and change and no-one would like
to be stuck up and remain stagnant.
Reactions to ChangeReaction Result
Ignores the necessity for change Is run over by the changes Accepts the necessity but has fear of leaving
the status quo Lives uselessly in the past
Accepts the necessity and pretends to change Deceives the self and createsproblems for other
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Accepts but doesnt know how to go about it Commits manymistakes in the name of change
Accepts, analyses them well and carries out a step-by-step plan Survives the changeand opens the way for other
Holding onto the old while trying to establish the new means
twice the work
Reactions to change havent always been good. We have been pushed into changes that
havent always had a positive outcome.
When there is no clear focus of how to go about the change process, people respond in
different ways and they experience painful results. There are five types of results that various
people generally experience:
The first type of people is those who ignore the necessity for change and are run over by
the changes. This is where change becomes a very painful process for them. Time is demanding
a change from them and they ignore the necessity to change, so time forces them to change.
The second type of people are those who accept the necessity but have a fear of losing
their status quo do not wish to change and so they continue to live uselessly in the past. Someone
else takes over and then they feel dejected and ignored. It is then that they start grumbling that
nobody cares for them; nobody takes their advice etc
The third type of people is those who accept the necessity and pretend to change butdeceive themselves and create problems for others also. The whole atmosphere becomes stressful
and team-spirit and motivation of others is also affected.
The fourth type of people is those who accept but dont know how to go about the change
process. They commit many mistakes in the name of change and cant maintain pace with the
rapid changing times.
The fifth type of people are those who embrace the change and survive. They accept the
change process, analyse it well, and carry out a step by step plan. They do proper planning,
analyse data and then execute it in the right manner therefore, they survive the change and open
the way for others to follow.
On the basis of the various results experienced by different types of people there is a
beautiful formula that has emerged for managing the change process. The formula is
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C = A + B + D > X.
C means change can only be practical when A + B + D is greater than X.
A is the acceptance of the need to change. Being sensitive to the demand of time and
accepting the necessity for change and adopting it with proper planning.
B is the belief in the ability to succeed, the self confidence and the self motivation to take the
initiative to bring change and achieve the desired results, developing and using the abilities to be
successful in the process.
D is the desirability of the future state. A very clear vision of the future state is the desired
form after the change.
And X means the cost of changing that is whatever cost is incurred in the process of change,
the resources we use, the time consumed, the energy, money, abilities, all the resources that we
put in the process for change.
These three ingredients: Acceptance of the need, Belief in the self and Desirability of
the future state are greater than the cost incurred, then only change can be successful, otherwise
we respond in a reactive focus and waste the money, time, energy and all the resources.
Event Reaction CycleEvery event, situation and problem demands a creative response from individuals from
time to time and when people do not realize the necessity of time to time and when people do notrealize the necessity of time to adopt creative measures or develop a clear focus towards it they
react to the situations and events as they come up in the same old ways. Their negative generated
emotions influence their own behavior, which in turn feed into the event or situation making the
situation worse. This is how they waste their resources and turn mole-hills into mountains and
later waste their time and energy in getting rid of the mountains which create frustration, anxiety
etc And ultimately they find themselves in a vicious cycle of negativity, reacting with events
and situations not realizing that time is demanding a change in their response. Whenever such
situations and events come up the demand of time is to bring about a change in ones response in
a positive manner and respond accordingly. This generates positive feelings and a positive
behavior feeds into the event or situation smoothing it and this is how mountains once again turn
into molehills and we become successful. The art of managing change is to realize the necessity
of change at the right time and respond to times demand in a proactive manner.
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Starting from the inside outThere are two circles which affect an individuals life. The circle of influence and the
circle of concern. The circle of influence is where we have control and the circle of concern is
where we do not necessarily have direct control, but, it is concerned with all our dealings. We
cannot control everything outside ourselves, but we can control our own internal self to leadchange. The circle of influence is the internal circle of our own values, vision, beliefs, attitude,
assumptions, thoughts etc. The circle of concern is the external circle comprising the government
policies, economic conditions, global competition, which is beyond our control. When we
become too concerned about the external circle that is about the government policies, economic
conditions, competition etc And want them to change, it starts pressurizing the inner circle of
influence. It pressurizes our values, vision, attitudes, our beliefs, thinking process, and we
develop a reactive focus. Reactive focus is when the inner circle of influence starts producing
negative energy waves and contracts, which means the effectiveness and the change that we want
to bring about, becomes difficult if not impossible and we start blaming others that they are
responsible, the circumstances are responsible, the situations are such and we cannot be effective
and as such we cannot change.
However, when we expand our inner circle of influence that is, our values, visions,
thought process, assumptions, beliefs, the gap between the circle of influence and circle of
concern gets reduced and this is where we become proactivewhich means we are able to focus
on the things that we have direct control over and which produce positive energy waves. These
positive energy waves carry their influence on to the circle of concern as well and in adverse
times when situations try to pressurize us, we can still be effective and bring about the change
desired. The result is that we do not get influenced by any external force but, are always
optimistic and are able to bring about the changes in the way we want. Thus, we do not become
handicapped by external forces.
The challenge of the time is to move confidently and powerfully through self-
transformation. When we are in a powerful awareness no upheaval in the atmosphere, people,
situations or circumstances can affect us. When we think that change is difficult, it does become
difficult. Once we understand how change takes place, we realise that a little bit of upheaval is
part of the process. The most significant breakthrough occurs when there is a change in our
perception. We will generally come to realise that it is our inner stage of consciousness that is
influencing our perception of the outer world. Many of the outer realities are just a reflection of
our inner state of mind. At present, the emphasis is therefore shifting towards managing
ourselves and finding inner competencies, our latent powers and specialties that make us
effective in this new environment. We need to harness our personal power to bridge the gap
between what we have to do and what we are actually doing by overcoming our inner
shortcomings To be effective, we have to be powerful. To be powerful is to have the ability to
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handle all situations and apply the right powers at the right time. Hence, we require self-
realization and not merely self-knowledge to manage the change.
The Planning ModelThe challenge to various organisations is to provide a framework for people to
understand their own journey through change so that they can best contribute to the organization.
The way to plan and re-engineer change in ones own life is done on the basis of a model very
identical to the corporate planning model that is used to re-engineer the organization; because
planning of the individual is planning for the organisation. This is the key to effectiveness by
creating a link and alignment between the individual and the organisation. The organizational
planning model is like a compass or a road map that gives a direction to the people to determine
the way they have to navigate and achieve their vision.
Similarly, self-management also provides a personal planning model for self-
development. It includes the identical steps as the organisational planning model to develop a
clear focus and reorganize from within.
The organisations direction is determined on the basis of the facts obtained from the
organisational SWOT analysis so as to move into the future and reach out for those opportunities
that are opening up. The insights help to redefine the mission, vision statements and the values
become fuel to reach out the vision but at the same time the barriers cannot be ignored in the Key
Result Areas and precautions have to be taken to achieve the vision. The strategies adopted
should be in alignment with the values and then an action plan and an implementation process
has to be developed.
Very similar to this planning model, self-management personal planning model
becomes the road map for self-development and in leading a meaningful life of fulfillment and
satisfaction. But, it is important to have the right mental state when planning for our future. We
should be free from all preconceived notions about the self and the things which are influencing
us. The best mental position is that of a detached observer. In the state of being a detached
observer, we are able to see ourselves and the influences in the way of our life. We have to be
cautions of them so that they dont distort the judgment and discrimination.
The key to stability is balance. The personal planning process involves two major areasof balance: firstly, the balance between the past and the future and secondly the balance between
hard thinking and soft thinking i.e., to be analytical, logical and rational but at the same time be
intuitive, creative and emotive.
In order to play a leadership role, we must be able to bring about significant changes in
our own mission, vision and values. The important principle of leadership is that the leader is
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someone who is easily able to exercise both thinking styles, i.e., hard and soft according to the
need. Many people lack this balancesome are too emotional and others are too rational. A
leaders mind features a fine balance of both.
Step 1 Fact (SWOT)Therefore, when we begin the process we start from the past facts. We are able to find
these facts from a personal SWOT analysis.
SWOT analysis is an analytical tool well-known to those familiar with the management
sciences. A SWOT is commonly used in the strategic planning of a business but it is used in a
different way for personal strategic planning. A SWOT analysis is an analysis of our own
personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Our personal strengths are thoseaspects of life which are really good and working well. Weaknesses are those aspects of life
which are not so good and are causing sorrow or discomfort to us. Threats are those things that
we may be worrying about in the future, and opportunities are those golden chances that may be
right there in front of us if only we are able to recognise them. In order to review ourselves, we
have to adopt the mindset of observing ourselves in a loveful but detached manner. It is
important to be objective and unemotional during the process. Thus, being in the present moment
we go into the past times, recollect the memories from the past happenings, events and situations
and find out what were the particular personal strengths that we have used, in order to be
successful and on which we can depend on in the future. Likewise, from the past what were our
old weaknesses and how they could be removed? It would have a greater impact on our life
because if we are not able to do that then in future greater risks or negative challenges will come
and we will have to deal with them in future. If we are able to get rid of them then what are the
opportunities that we can see opening up in our own life so that we are able to navigate our life
on the basis of that.
In doing the SWOT analysis the aim is to analyse the present position in life so as to
become clear about where we are standing, what are our personal resources and what do we need
to pay extra attention to in order to steer through our life for personal development in the
direction we want to. But it is important that we are in a right mental position to be effective in
finding out this direction. We must be in a right frame of mind.
It reminds me of an example. Just as when a pebble is thrown into a still lake, the
ripples start to spread out from the point where it hits the water. In the same way, everything
starts with the state of the self and then radiates to the body, relationships, society, environment
and the world. The inner qualities affect our mental state which affects our physical state, which
in turn affects our relationship, society and the environment. To help us develop the right mental
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state for undertaking the SWOT analysis it is important therefore, that we know more about the
inner self before proceeding to the analysis of our outer life.
Hence, after understanding our selves in a better way through a personal SWOT
analysis we move forward onto the second step which is the SPIRITUAL INSIGHTS.
Step 2 Spiritual InsightsInsight is he spiritual wisdom which is the missing dimension in our present life. It
helps us to understand our innate self in a better way. So that we identify our inner powers and
capabilities which are at our disposal to determine the implications of the changes that are going
on around. Understanding our weaknesses we have the practical tips from the spiritual wisdom to
overcome them, as we are aware of the organisation where we work. There is an organisation
within ourself which is also very powerful and in order to manage ourselves in a better way we
need to know and understand our inner organisation in a better way.
What is it that we have to know and understand about the inner organisation?
There are two aspects of us: the innate self or the real self and the acquired self or the
physical self. The innate self is also known as soul, atma, spirit, which is the essence and store
house of all values. It has three main faculties through which it functions or performs all the
mental activiesthe mind, the intellect and the sub consciousness. The acquired self or the
physical self is whatever I have acquired after coming to this world: the Ego, the role, image,
possessions, skills, body, relationships, position, achievement, beliefs etc. We are so conscious
of the acquired self that all our actions and resources are concentrated around the physical
development. Hence, developing the ral human resource is neglected, due to lack of awareness of
our innate potential.
In order to develop the innate resources we have to understand the inner mechanishm of
the three faculties which perform all the mental activitiesThe mind, the intellect and the Sub-
consciousness or sanskars or the personal MISmanagement information system. If we know
how to manage ourselves on the basis of the information or the wisdom then our system or our
life will be better organised. Applying the insights means to understand how the mind works and
how to change our mindset, understanding our thinking mechanisms and our decision-making
processes.
The mind is a very powerful faculty which imagines, thinks, feels, forms ideas etc. Everymoment the mind creates thoughts: thus we can say that the mind is the palnning committee of
the inner organisation. All the ideas or the thoughts created by the planning committee are then
passed on to the next faculty the intellect which is the decision- making committee of the inner
oeganisation.
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The intellect is where the wisdom and the will-power to take decisions are stored. This is
the most crucial faculty which understands each and every thought and reasons and analyses,
discriminates, evaluates, and then gives its decisions whether to carry out the practical actions or
not.
All the actions get registered or filed in the sub consciousness or sanskars as the recordsof the self in the form of experiences, tendencies, habits, traits, talents or memories and as a
result forms our personality. Any records from the sub consciousness can be traced within a
fraction of a second and accordingly the thought process starts.
There are mainly four types of interferences:1. Mental Positioning
Mental positioning or the conditioning of the mind. This corresponds to the way
in which we perceive information. For instance do I see a glass half-empty or half-full?According to my mental positioning, I will perceive the situation. Half empty is negative
and half full is positive. Another example of mental positioning comes from a French
author. During the last world war, he was trying to escape with some of his friends from
the German Gestapo. After a few weeks, they were captured and thrown into jail, with of
course the deadly fear of what would happen next. To help his friends to keep hope, this
author told them: Look my friends when we escaped, we had the fear of being caught
and now that we are caught we have the hope of becoming free again. So, our mental
positioning determines our analysis of situations and thus our response also. What kind of
mental positioning are we used to? Is it the one that will help us to keep on creating new
opportunities or will it fail us when opportunities arise? This is something we can workon and that can bring a lot of change in our life and in our relationships with others.
2. Mental LimitsThese are all non-visible limits that we create either ouselves or that are created by
our education, our parents, society etc. It is very easy to create mental limits in children.
For instance, so often parents say to the child; Dont touch this; dont do that because
you are clumsy, so you will break it. But the result will be that this child will become a
clumsy person who will never allow him/her to do a lot of things because of the mental
limit that has been created in him. Ww can see the same type of behaviour in ourselves
sometimes, when we say; This is my nature, I cant help it, Ive always been like that, I
will not change now, its too late how many times do we say I cannot out of fear,
though we would be able to do it if we had the courage just to try? Amongst our limits
are of course all our habits, thinking patterns etc. Our natural trend is to create a comfort-
zone in which we feel safe and in which we try to maintain ourselves, but this can be
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dangerous, because we do not allow ourselves to develop new skills, to use other types of
resources that are inside us, latent and yet never explored. Limit is the barrier that we
have created ourselves and that lead us to find the solution of a problem impossible. The
logic is that without widening our scope of thinking we find some things very difficult
though in fact, they are quite easy.
3. AssumptionsThese are all ready-made images, all what we assume to be so,all what we guess
and imagine and that prevent us from having a right idea of what it is really. Let me
illustrate this through a small story.
A man comes home with a brand new car. The whole family is looking at it.
When the father says he will go to a big town next morning, his eldest son asks if he
could go with him. So the next morning the father and the son go in the new car, the
roads are empty and the man is driving very fast. A few kilometers from their startingpoint, suddenly a big truck appears just in front of them. The man cannot avoid it. There
is an accident and both are seriously injured and are taken to the hospital. The surgeon
arrives and says I will not operate. Why does the surgeon say this? Now there can be
many assumptions made that the child is already dead or that there was no one to sign etc.
But the surgeon was the mother of the child.
Now, normally the image created of a surgeon is connected with a male and
hence we cannot imagine the mother of the child to be there.
4. Associated MemoriesThis is the link between the two functions, the intellect and the subconscious.
Our experiences from the past and our recorded memories are linked together. This is
also known as preconceived notions. For example a special song or music, we hear it
everywhere because it is a best-seller and many years afterwards, on hearing the song
again, we recall all the memories that are connected. It will be as if it were yesterday. We
feel the same emotions, the same feelings that we had at that time.
There may be someone regularly cleaning the office. In the office we have a se
tof beautiful flower vases of glass. By chance, he happens to break it. We caution him
that he has to be careful and replace the same with another one. After a few days
something happens and as he was cleaning again he breaks the other one . We become
firm with hin and tell him the next time he breaks anything then he would be changed and
replaced with another one. Some days later, we come in the office and as we pass by that
place we find that it was broken and mended with some solution. Now who would come
in our memory that could have done that? Immediately we associate our previous
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memory and call the same person and take action against him but actually it was not he. It
was somebody else who had done that.
In conclusion, when we look at all these interferences, we need to be extremely
cautions about the way we act or react towards each situation. Only by remaining alert
and unprejudiced and by practicing open mind can we remain free from these old
limitations and discover a totally new way of thinking. The method to improve our
decision-making is to identify where the blockages and the holes are.
Sub ConsciousSpiritual wisdom also helps us to develop the innate and acquired values; it
enables us to understand how we have moved away from our innate values towards the
acquired values. Further, it gives us the method to reach the innate values once again.
This means self-empowerment that is taking the power from within to control ourselvesat the right time through the right process in the right manner.
In the subconscious are recorded all our experiences and actions, though we are
not aware of them, they are latent. Human personality is like an iceberg. 10% of the
iceberg is visible above the surface and 90% of the iceberg is invisible beneath the
waterline. Now imagine, there is powerful storm coming from the north going towards
the south at the speed of 180 kilometers. So in which direction should the iceberg move?
You may think it will go towards the south. But the iceberg moves against the storm
towards undercurrent running from south to north which is controlling the 90% of the
iceberg.
The same applies to human beings. What we know of each other, is only a tiny
amount of the 10% visible. 90% of our invisible personality which is within the
subconscious and unknown to even ourselves is controlled by some very strong
undercurrents and is the driving force of our personality in a particular direction.
There are five undercurrents moving very silently in everybodys life and controlling
90% of our personality.
The first and powerful undercurrent is the various forms of ego or the evilsgenerated from ego. It is the driving force in the present time.
The second undercurrent is the records carried forward from the past life which
keeps on interfering with the present actions and becomes the driving force. That is when
the intellect does not work and we are controlled by these latent subconscious memories.
Many times we see mature people making some mistakes and when they are caught, they
go through some punishment. If we ask them, how is that they made this mistake, they
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would say please dont ask, I do not know what came into my head at that moment and I
was driven by it.
The third undercurrent is the ancestral, which we inherit in our nature from the
parents and grand-parents. We can see how those impressions function from time to time
and people are not able to change themselves and they are controlled and driven by those
impressions.
The fourth powerful undercurrent is the company in this life. Thus there is the
saying that a man is known by the company he keeps. There are some children from very
good family backgrounds but when they get indulged in bad company they hardly realise
where they are being driven. When we make them realise about the company they have
indulged in, they would react and sometimes they are willing to leave their homes but
cannot give up the company. So human beings are being tossed in various directions by
these undercurrents. Sometimes, there is a lot of inner conflict exoerienced because of
these undercurrents trying to pull us in various directions. Hence, people are at the mercy
of these undercurrents. There is a method through which we can completely rule them outof our life. We can do this with the help of the fifth undercurrent. As it is said an iron cuts
an iron. Likewise an undercurrent cuts an undercurrent.
The fifth undercurrent is very powerful but quite dormant in majoritys life. It is
the undercurrent of will-power. We need to activete it. How do we activate our will-
power? In order to activatr our will-power, we need the positive thought energy, as
thought energy is the greatest inner resource. But, where do we get positive thoughts
from. The source of positive thoughts is spirituality. This is why spiritual dimension is
said to be the missing dimension in human life.
To keep the process dynamic we have to go into silence and feel the energy ofthe positive qualities through our own thoughts. As we think so we become. There is time
and place for everything. Just as there is an accurate chronology for the development of a
baby, so too, on a psychological level, there is an accurate chronology for change.
The golden key for self transformation is to apply accurate chronology to our
efforts.
Firstly, identify and re-emerge our buried treasures. It strengthens the feeling that we
have nothing to lose by changing; there are many things to gain.
Secondly, recognize the past and build on the foundation of the present ways, accepting
the change right now.
Thirdly, never be trapped in comfortable habits.
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Fourthly, take all challenges, opportunities on the path and avoid the feeling of
incompetence.
Develop a clear understanding of the self and recognize the self-made defense
mechanishms.
Developing a Clear FocusThe key to fundamental transformation in the self is to develop a clear focus, will-
power and capabilities. We can change our direction when the understanding about the
situation changes.
Focus, Will & CapabilityA clear focus is required to guide our life activities on the basis of a clear sense of
purpose, values and vision. The will-power or the motivation and enthusiasm to introduce
and sustain the actions, and the capabilities or the skills and abilities to fulfill the purpose
and goals. If any of the three is lacking then we can fail. We may have the focus clear and
also the capabilities but if we lack the will-power, then we would bring the change but
probably will not be able to sustain the effort as we will be lacking in will-power.
Similarly, we may have the focus clear and have the will-power as well but may lack the
capabilities. Then too, we would not be able to succeed as we lack the necessary skills
and talents to achieve the ambitions which are beyond us. Likewise, we may have the
will and even the capabilities but lack the focus, then too, we would not be able to
succeed as we are so unclear about what we are doing and so we shall simply exhaust
ourselves and run out of energy.
Therefore, all the three ingredients are needed together. But where do we start?
There is definitely a right place to begin and that is with our focus. Why? Because if the
focus is powerful and based on a very deep sense of our inner purpose of life, then that
will provide us with the will-power, we need to keep going. If we have aclear driving
focus in life and lot of will power to bak it up, we will soon develop the skills and
capabilities we need to make it happen. We may not have them in us but our enthusiasm
and passion will certainly inspire others who have them to join us. This is what it meansto be a Leader.
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Step 3 PurposeThe third step of this personal planning model is finding out the purpose. Life can
be centered on work, money, power, family or socity and there are many ways to make
short term gains. By identifying our higher purpose and core values we can live from a
principle centre that will lead us to a long term effectiveness based on natural laws. The
purpose of our life has to be understood from various perspectives. So that we are able to
give a meaning to our life and lead a meaningful life. Discovering ones personal purpose
is like cutting a diamond. Every diamond has within it a ready-made design, waiting to be
discovered. So does every human being. The secret is to actualize the pattern. For every
successful and fulfilled human being, the shaping of a life worth-living starts with
identifying and then building on the purpose that each of us was born to fulfill.
So let me ask this question to myselfAm I labouring in my life without clear
understanding of what is the meaning and importance of my existence? Or am I enjoying
my life with a clear understanding of what is the purpose of my existence? Our purposeaffects the way we work, live, being in the world and the results we achieve. Purpose
means to follow the intuition and do the things that really matter so that we use our
resources and talents for the greater good and explore what is meaningful. Purpose
becomes the basis for our motivation for excellence: it gives a direction to life and a
source of conviction and consistency; too clarify the focus and then applying the spiritual
wisdom of how to channelize the innate powers and capabilities towards those things
which are meaningful instead of just wasting the energy.
Step 4 - ValuesThe fourth step in the planning model is the values. Just as we do not create
purpose in our life but we detect it. In the same way, I have to detect what is the pattern
of the values that have been important in my life. In other words, we must clarify the
innate values and the acquired values which are most deeply connected to the purpose, or
clarify specially what we really value in our life and how to use these values as the basis
for choice, selection and decision making. Thus our values determine our worth. The
values are true motivators and are important for achievements of the purposes in life
particularly those values which should be the touchstone for important decisions in ourlife. Therefore we have to very clearly identify the value-system that we are gifted with.
Each and every indidvidual is blessed with a core value-system when he is born. But the
values can either be chosen consciously from conditioning. These include traditional
influences of family, society, religion, education, media, science etc.
There can be a difference between our authentic values and the values that we
have which are shaped by unconscious influences. The challenge is to find the right ones
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for the time: values which will give us a sense of stability and direction for safe passage.
Values are like moral compasses because they guide us in our actions on a day to day
basis, while being consistent with our purpose. Different types of values pulling in
different directions lead to inner conflict and stress so we need to clearly define our
priorities. Once a nurse who participated in one of the programmes, believed that values
were connected with big issues. Talking to her and about herwork and what she felt was
important to her, she mentioned how important she felt it was to really listen to the
patients, and how much her patients appreciated the way, and she listened to them. Iasked
dont u think that is a value? She realised. That is what values are all about, the real
things in life, the quality that we bring into our relationships, what we bring into our life
day by day. Values are like the fuel. In any situation where these values are imbibed, they
will decide the course of our action they become the basis or foundation for achieving our
vision.
Step 5 VisionThe fifth step in this planning model is to have a clear vision. In organisations
there is a trade-mark of the products symbolised in the form of a logo which constantly
reminds each and every one of the purpose of the organisation, the values that are
connected with their vision as a whole. Similarly vision means to develop a mental image
of the purpose and values of what we are aiming for, in the form of a symbol for future
success as a personal logo that will become a guiding light for the future and
automatically remind us of what we are aiming to achieve. We create our own script by
the quality of our vision. If we dont have a s trong personal vision, then the script is
handed to us by other people, or prevailing situations and circumstances. A specific,
powerful, personal vision generates energy, motivation and commitment. Our vision is
not about having more but about being more.
When purpose is the course u have set foe your journey, then vision is the
destination. Vision is the secret of taking charge of change as we dont mind leaving our
old house when there is a new house to go to. Purpose gives meaning to our vision and
values help us to remember what is most important to us as we go about reaching our
vision. It is a powerful picture of the future that we carry in our heads and in our hearts.
A picture says more than a thousand words. A picture, a symbol can awaken courage,elevated feelings and reinforce the values connected with that aim. This becomes our
personal guiding beacon.
A common example of this is Pavlovs dog. As an experiment, every time he
fed the dog, he would ring a bell. After some time, he would sound the bell and the dog
would begin to salivate in anticipation of the food. There was no need to bring the food to
bring about the response. The same process takes place when we develop a strong mental
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reminder of our purpose and values. Every time we recall our vision and we will call
forth the inner power and energy for our purposeand values. It will help to energise and
give the power to make the right decisions. For example, imagine we are about to go into
a meeting which we know is going to be tough. We know we are going under pressure to
do something we may not like. Before going to stop for a moment and flash on the screen
of the mind the image of our symbol. This will immediately make us recall what is
important to us. Even though we amy be assailed with facts and logical argument, even
though we may be subjected to all sorts of emotional pressures, if we are focused, we will
remain stable and strong and will be able to take the right decisions at the right time.
Step 6 BarriersThe sixth step in this planning model for a leader is that although he keeps his
vision high but does not lose his head in the clouds. He has his feet on the ground but not
stuck in the mud. I cannot just fly into the sky but I have to be grounded very firmlywhich means I have to identify the blocks and barriers which I will have to deal with in
the future while achieving the vision. Barriers help me to be on the ground as well as live
practically in achieving that vision for the future so that nothing can stop me.
The purpose of being aware of the barriers is that by comparing my vision with
my present situation, I discover what is it that is going to come in my way. Before we
embark on any adventure, it is important to anticipate what obstacles we will have to deal
with on the way:- The storms, the lulls, the undercurrents. The storms are the external
pressures and challenges in which we have to handle ouselves. The lulls are the times
when we feel completely powerless, burnt out of energy, no motivation to move forward,
and the undercurrents are the powerful streams of our own weaknesses driving us making
us feel helpless and handicapped. Hence, we need to be realistic about the problems and
limitations that exist in our lives in order to overcome them. We must not only be aware
of the barriers presented by external circumstances or people, but we must also be aware
of our own limitations.
There is a beautiful Chinese phrase which says know your enemy and know
thyself if you know yourself but not the enemy, for every battle u win, u will
experience defeat. If u know your enemy but not yourself, again defeat awaits u. If u
dont know yourself and u dont know your enemy, victory will elude u forever.
Therefore, know yourself and know your enemy. To know myself means I haveto understand myself. I have to be aware of my sanskars or inner programming and
realise that I have to challenge assumptions about myself and the problems that exist in
my life. Often the most significant barriers caome from our own limiting beliefs and
perceptions. Just to recognise these barriers is an achievement in itself. By detecting my
personal barriers and blocks and looking at them very closely, I find that the root causes
of all my problems are stationed within me. This helps me to detect the real enemy and I
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will know exactly what I have to do to fulfill my purpose and vision, it is like identifying
the obstacles and road-blocks that may prevent me from fulfilling that purpose, vision
and identifying the underlying negative destructive habits, attitudes and behaviour which
become the root cause for my failure.
Spiritual understanding helps us address these barriers and overcome them easily.
In order to address these barriers, we have to change our attutide and perception towards
it. Spirituality helps us to see these barriers as stepping stones to success. Instead of
thinking about the problems, we start to think about the solutions. It enables us to expand
our understanding that no situation last, forever. It is our own negative thinking that
stretches the situation as far as we wish to. It is definite that we cannot change the
adverse situation but we can definitely change our attitude towards it. Spirituality also
gives a deep understanding about the eternal laws of nature thus, sometimes we have to
leave it for time to heal and give full justice i.e. understanding the law of karma and
developing the patience to wait and see. In the present time, we cannot depend upon
others to become role-models for us and guide us but instead, let us take the leadershipand become role-models ourselves for others, or ultimately, let us apply the greatest
wisdom of Gita that there is benefit in everything that comes so there is no need to worry
about it.
Step 7 Key Result AreaKey Result area is normally something we refer to in a process of change in an
organisation. It is the areas which have been identified as key areas in which a change
would lead to effective overall change in the organisation. When we use this term in self-
management, it refers to those areas of our personal life in which our efforts need to be
integrated and balancedsuch as inner self, family life, work life, health.
The first steps employed imaginative and visionary thinking, the barriers
employed analytical thinking, finding some of those deeper limiting beliefs and
assumptions and the next step employs strategic thinking, that is how we can translate
from the world of ideas into the world of action and address the barriers with spiritual
understanding that are standing in the way.
The seventh and eighth step of this planning model is to develop clear goals
and strategies for overcoming the barriers which exist in each Key-Result Area of my lifeand give a direction for the next phase of my life. The aim of this is to develop SMART
goals and strategies for the achievement of our vision in the various key-result areas of
our life, as well as for our own personal development. SMART goals means that they
should be Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time-bound. Goals without
strategies will remain dreams. Thus, strategies are initiatives or consciously thiught out
choices on how to move forward, realising times demand and responding in a proactive
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manner instead of just reacting. Strategies require implementation. The main aim is to
break our conventional patterns and routines. A change at any one level wii bring change
at all the levels. We need to focus our energy for best results because there is so much
that can be done and so many places to put our energy.
For each goal and accompanying strategy, we need to develop specific action
steps with the time indicated when we will either commence or complete the ninth step of
practical implementation.
Step 8, 9 Strategy and Action PlanThe strategy has to be in alignment with my values and then take each of the
strategies and identify which specific steps or tasks we need to oerform immediately in
order to bring the strategies into life. Our actions dont support our purpose when they are
not guided by a value or there is the incapacity to express the value correctly. Therefore,the purpose of action planning is to transform well-meaning intentions into practical
specific action steps, to identify specific action steps necessary in order to bring my self-
management plan to life and to keep it alive.
We have to be focused and concentrated. The importance doesnt lie in the
size of our action but how we actually do it. This will build confidence and enthusiasm.
Step 10 Implementation ProcessThe tenth step is then the implementation process which has four aspects
monitoring, timing, response-ability and non-violent communication.
The aim of monitoring is to introduce a daily self assessment syatem to keep
on track with my own action plans and development programmes which show how to
maintain my motivation and will-power.
Timing means I should also know the right time to act and learn how to select
the time to act recognising the time, I am at the peak and when I am most vulnerable to
defeat.
Response-ability provides me with the skills in teamwork and empowerment
on the basis of understanding the subtle laws of cause and effect as I apply to myresponse-ability and practically apply the lessons; I have learnt regarding value based
action.
Non violent communication means recognising the power available to tap the
hidden inner powers and training in the master art of nonviolent communication and the
keys to effective listening.
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So that, in short the technology through which we develop advanced
relationship management skills in regard to team-work, giving and receiving corrective
feed-back and deal with every conflict situation.