Are You Big Enough?
Let me set the record straight: this is an article about your impact on the world. Are you a big enough player in the world?
The answer is not in the numbers.Here’s why:
Let’s say you purchase mosquito nets for 300 children in Africa, and save them from malaria, is that enough? What if you save only 1 child’s life, by grabbing his hand as he’s about to run across the street into traffic? Is one lifenot enough?
Or, let’s say, you mobilize 1 million people to take action on a certain social issue. That sounds like enough, right? Well, what if you mobilize only a half of that – 500,000 people- is it, then,not enough? What if it’s just you and your 3 closest friends? We can experiment: I just sent $30 via Western Union to Prasanna Gettu, who runs a healing center for burn survivors in India. It’s $30 more than nothing, for a life saved. If any of you follow suit, it will be a lot more than nothing. For a burn victim, my little $30 is big enough.
But I’m digressing; the original question was about “big enough” foryou, right? So, let’s get back to you
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What do you think people really want to know when they are asking: “Am I big enough?”
A question “Am I big enough?” from a child who wants to reach the cookie jar is not just about his ability to reach the jar. It’s also about his authority: “Am I old enough to not need permission, and just go for it?”
“Am I big enough?” from a manager trying to make big changes at work is about his position and influence in the company: “Am I important enough to be heard?”
“Am I big enough?” from a guy questioning his size is not a question about the size per se, but about hisability do things well with the size that he’s got. “Am I powerful enough to make things happen?”
“Am I big enough” from a dad who spends all of his time on creating a legacy for his children and none of his time with his children, the question is about being worthy of love and respect in his child’s eyes.
What all these scenarios have in common is that the word “big” is not really at the heart of the question.
When someone wonders “Am I big enough?” what he really wants to know is “Am I enough?”
Even though I’m not the Oracle, based on everything I’ve ever learned, I know for sure that the answer is always “yes”.
COACHING + INTUITION FOR SKEPTICS AND LEFT-BRAINERS:
Until recently, I’ve been keeping my two practices separately: Executive Coaching and Intuition For Skeptics & Left-Brainers.
In the past, I made it a point to keep them as far away from each other as possible, due to the fear of being perceived less competent in my field of organizational effectiveness and leadership development. Then, I decided that there’s nothing wrong with bringing some magic to the leaders, especially when it’s tested and proven.
So, in addition to coaching & OD tools, I’ll be starting to blend in intuition tools into my practice. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. And if you want to take intuition for a test-drive, I’m offering four 15-minute laser focus intuition sessions available on June 12th, 12-1 p.m. EST, at pay-what-it-is-worth rate here.
FEARLESS CAREER MAPPING:
I have just presented a workshop on Fearless Career Mapping at a regional conference for mid- to senior-level university administrators looking to move up in their careers. The workshop was about courage, creating your own opportunities, getting rid of stories that hold us back, and creating new habits for greater career mobility. If your team or your organization as a whole may be interested in a similar project, please email me, Alina@MindTerrainCoaching.com .
EMERGENCY COACHING RESPONSE:
I have developed a 40-hour course on Emergency Coaching Response, a system of responding to a person in crisis in a focused, clear and compassionate way, using coaching tools and skills. I recently presented some of the material at the People’s Recovery Summit in NYC, and if you would like me to share this material with leaders at various levels of your organization, please contact me at Alina@MindTerrainCoaching.com