Often fear of failure leads to being stuck in our current state.  Our perspective on failure is clearly related to whether we move into new opportunities in our life or remain stuck in situations where we are frustrated with our circumstances.  In this podcast, Andee and Rhonda explore the brain process of moving from stuck to higher levels of competence, as well as how our perspective on failure impacts our ability to get unstuck.

The Conscious Competence Learning model was developed in the 1970’s by Noel Burch at the Gordon Training Institute.  And this is what our brain tells us.  There is a process we go through as we develop a new skill/knowledge/thinking process.  This is how it goes:

1. Unconscious incompetence – we are merrily going along our way. We have no idea there is anything we need to know/see/do in an area of our life so we are unconscious of the fact that we are incompetent in whatever it is we don’t see.  
2. Conscious incompetence – we become aware we are lacking the skill/knowledge/thinking process we need now. We are consciously aware of the fact that we are incompetent IN THIS AREA.  At this point, we have a choice to make.  Do I move through this uncomfortable place of not knowing so I can become competent? Even if I may embarrass myself in the process?  Or do I stay in this incompetent state? 
3. Conscious Competence – I am developing my skills. In this place I’m very conscious of each move I make in the process of practicing my skill.  I’m very aware of the fact that I’m getting better and my skills/knowledge and thinking are moving into a place of being competent.  I am very aware (conscious) of the fact that I am LEARNING how to be competent. 

For many who are stuck in their role, this is the place they fear.  They know if they admit their conscious incompetence, they’re going to need assistance in some way to learn the new thing that will get them unstuck.  And so they stay stuck, frustrated with where they are; knowing that there must be something better, but unable to find a way to the place they need to go.  That’s the time and place where a coach, a counselor or a mentor could be so valuable in helping them see a different option, a way of moving from conscious incompetence to conscious competence.

4. Unconscious Competence – in this space, the new skill/knowledge/thought process becomes second nature. The mastery you sought is now part of your being, your identity.  You do the new thing with ease, not having to think through it each time, but “just knowing”.  Your process is smooth and automatic. 

The Conscious Competence Learning Model is a cycle that repeats over and over in our lives.  We become competent in one area and find another where we desire to develop our skill, a new area of competence that will add to our repertoire of tools for success.

The JoHari Window is a self-awareness tool. Using it gives me a clearer picture of who I am, how I am viewed by others and my impact on those around me.  This tool focuses on what is known and unknown by self and by others.  The Johari window has been around for 60 years! It was created by two psychologists, Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham in 1955. It’s a helpful tool for personal growth as well as for team development.

The Johari Window helps you become a Bold & Courageous Leader.

• Self-awareness – gaining deeper awareness of intersection of leadership and context – who am I and how do I show up to others? Also, what is my impact on my context?  Is that positive or negative?
• Impact on context relates to followership. Who do I follow and who follows me?  Are my blind spots causing me trouble?  The JoHari window provides a space to look at this.
• Self-awareness reflected through the JoHari Window reflects your WHY. It can show disconnects between your WHY and your behaviors.
• Using this tool promotes deeper levels of self-awareness, which is a hallmark of a Bold & Courageous Leader.

JoHari Window consists of 4 quadrants – each quadrant represents information regarding the individual and whether it is known or unknown by self or others. 

• Quadrant 1: Upper left quadrant is open – known to self/known to others. This area is what is known about you by both you and others.
• Quadrant 2: Upper right quadrant is blind – known by others/not known by self.
• Quadrant 3: Lower left quadrant is hidden – known by self/not known by others.
• Quadrant 4: Lower right quadrant is unknown – not known by self or others.

Quadrant 1 is the Open Area.

When working with others, it’s important to be as open and transparent as possible.  The goal is working toward an open quadrant that is as large as possible. 

• Shared knowledge – where individual and team are aware of behavior, motivation, values, experiences and strengths.
• Increasing this area eliminates distrust, misunderstandings and conflict.
• Builds trust.
• Working together helps each person learn to trust others.
• Becomes larger through disclosure,
• In a team with large open areas and deep trust, conflict can lead to greater productivity.

Quadrant 2 is the Blind Quadrant.

Each of us has a blind area, areas of self that we can’t see, but that are obvious to others. 

• Can be positive or negative.
• Safety with trusted others gives us a place to gain feedback about our blind areas.
• Blind areas can be stumbling blocks to making your highest and best contribution. (See experience above!)

Quadrant 3 is the Hidden area.

This area is information we see, but keep hidden from others.  We all have parts of our life we choose to keep hidden. Those hidden things can be idiosyncrasies or a major faux pas we want to keep covered. Bold & Courageous Leaders create an atmosphere of trust and safety.

• The culture of your organization has a huge influence on team members’ willingness to share their hidden self.
• Self-disclosure requires a level of vulnerability, sharing those things that others don’t know about you. These things could be small and even seem silly or loom large in your mind.
• Your willingness to be vulnerable, sharing about yourself at the level where you feel comfortable, provides an example of openness that encourages others to decrease their Hidden Area and bring their best to your team.

Disclosure is always at the discretion of the individual team member. No one should be pressured to share things they don’t feel safe or willing to share.

It’s amazing what a team and the individuals within the team can accomplish when they establish safety and trust within the group. Through trusting relationships:

• Hidden skills come to the fore.
• Individuals are willing to try new things because they know their team has their back.
• Failure is not an end, but an opening to learn and develop something new and better.

Quadrant 4 is the Unknown Area.

This area is information unknown to the individual and others.  It is a source of latent abilities, skills and desires we possess or experiences we’ve buried in our subconscious for some reason.  Information in this area can be positive or negative.

What do we do with this information on the JoHari Window?

As Bold and Courageous Leaders, our goal is being in the Open Space as much as possible. It is part of who we are. The more we develop our Bold & Courageous identity, the deeper our awareness of self and how we interact with our context. We will always have blind and unknown areas.  Intentionality helps us to manage these quadrants.  Seeking self-awareness and feedback limits the size of our blind area.  When I face a challenge in my leadership, looking for blind spots that impact others is part of my leadership responsibility.  I don't just hold others accountable, but I also look in the mirror and take an account of my own behavior.

The JoHari Window is a tool for increased self-awareness. It works for individuals and team development. It provides a framework for understanding relationships between people and teams.  As a Bold & Courageous leader, I encourage you to consider this tool for your toolbox.  Use it to make your team and your relationships safe places to be as open as possible.

Download a copy of the JoHari Window here: http://www.rkpbusinessadvisors.com/documents/Rhonda%20Peterson-Johari%20Window.pdf

Fran LaMattina, consultive coach, Master Certified Coach and owner of Strategies for Greatness, joins us for a fast-paced interview about Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and the difference it can make in your leadership.  She provides us with an understanding of what EQ is and how it adds to our ability to make a difference in our work and personal life.

Highlights from the interview:

• EQ provides a 35% plus or minus factor in effectiveness.  If we’re more emotionally intelligent, we can be 35% MORE effective; if we’re less emotionally intelligent, we could be 35% LESS effective.  ~ Daniel Goleman
• EQ is comprised of 5 areas. The first three are about self, the last two are about interaction with others.
  1. Self-awareness
  2. Self-regulation
  3. Motivation
  4. Empathy
  5. Social Skills
• EQ causes you to catch yourself in areas of danger.  Feedback helps you know when you are in a dangerous place.

“The faster we go, the less margin we have for openness.”

Resources Fran mentioned in her interview:

• Primal Leadership, Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman
• Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman
• Good to Great, Jim Collins
• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey
• What Makes a Leader, Daniel Goleman, from Harvard Business Review
• 5 Behaviors of a Cohesive Team, Patrick Lencioni - fivebehaviors.com
• Right Path Assessment rightpath.com

Suzanne Bandy shares her experience of understanding and developing her strengths. This understanding led to a new position that allows her to use her strengths and help others gain awareness and use of their strengths. She now describes herself as a Bold & Courageous Leader, because she understands her strengths as strengths, not as weaknesses. She can see her contribution through her strengths.

Highlights of the podcast include:

• When you understand your strengths, you can step out and fully embrace who you are and not apologize for it.
• To be bold and courageous is to get past fear….past the fear of not being what someone else wanted or expected you to be. Rather you’re living out of your strengths, the masterpiece work God created for you.
• To call forth and honor the strengths of all on the team is the role of the leader.
• Taking on a role that is not in your strengths withholds opportunity for someone else to contribute their masterpiece work to the team and the world.
• As leaders, we need to help others understand they will make their biggest contributions in their strengths. Our role is to give them the freedom to find that place.

Resources mentioned in today’s podcast:
Strengths Based Leadership, by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie

In this podcast, Rhonda and Andee review Andee’s results for the assessment, Where Are You Investing Your Life?  We discuss Priorities, Observations, Strengths and Weaknesses, Insights and the importance of Action Steps.

Key takeaways:

Where you are investing your life shows what is most important to you. If you find a disconnect between your schedule and your priorities, consider the changes you might make so your calendar matches your highest priorities.

Andee found a great sense of freedom in completing the assessment.  She learned some new things and became more intentional about connecting her relational values to each entry on her calendar.

Two websites are discussed:

Where Are You Investing Your Life? rhondapeterson.com/freeoffer

Calendar Sheets: Scatteredsquirrel.com

Join Rhonda and Christina "Tini" Horning as they explore the journey into authentic leadership. 

From her beginnings as a teacher to her role as an intern, a staff member, and now a leader for Campus Crusade, Tini has grown from reluctant to confident in her leadership journey. She learned a great deal about her strengths, as well as the importance of leading authentically. 

Tini and I have journeyed together for almost 10 years, first as fellow staff members at a church, then as friends and in a coaching relationship. It's been a joy to watch Tini blossom into an amazing leader. Her ability to engage those she leads is incredible. 

Listen to hear Tini's heart for Jesus expressed in her leadership journey. 

Every Good Endeavor, Connecting Your Work to God's Work is a great read. This book thoroughly addresses the concept of work, a history of how the church has looked at work, as well as how the Bible and Jesus himself taught about work. It gives us a real perspective of work both from a historical perspective and currently. Timothy Keller and his co-author tell it like it is. There is no sugar coating here. The book also gives us the opportunity to think differently about work, about its place in our lives, and how we can integrate our faith and our work in a way that doesn't make work an idol but makes work a place where we can live out our faith on a daily basis. 

In our review, Andee and I discuss 5 points from the book- and we barely scratch the surface!

1. God's original design for work: ordinary human work is not punishment, but a basic human need. God institutes a rhythm of work and rest. 

2. Work as the masks of God. God allows us to participate with Him in our provision. 

3. Dualism- Work is drudgery vs. work is a way of serving God through our contribution to the world. 

Culture's Question: Have you produced your widget today? 

God's Question: Are you being who I created you to be? Are you honoring the masterpiece that I have created in you?

4. Passion is a double edged sword. When rooted in fear of failure, will generic frenetic activity, rather than positive contributions. This is called the "work under the work". 

5. Reclaiming a Christian perspective of passion gives a new perspective on work that is rewarding and productive. This is the place of doing masterpiece work. The True passion that flows out of Christ in us = selflessness. 

It takes trust to rest in the rhythm God created of work and rest. That is a Bold & Courageous stance. 

Our recommendation: Get it. read it. Find others to share it with. Integrate it into your life. 

Purchase the Book on Amazon here!

Leadership definitions abound.  This podcast explores the definition of a Bold & Courageous Leader.  Along with the definition of a Bold & Courageous Leader, we explore the 5 Qualities of a Bold & Courageous Leader:

1. Trust in God – they live in the space of “Do not be afraid.” And “I will go with you wherever you go.”
2. Self-awareness – they know their behavioral strengths and style. They understand the intersection of their leadership and their context.
3. Understand followership – they know who they follow and who follows them.
4. Guided by their WHY – decisions are made based on how it relates to the WHY of the organization and personal why.
5. Always learning – continually seeking to be more aware of connections, opportunities, deeper levels of self-awareness and deeper level of knowing God.

Join Rhonda Peterson and Andee Marks for this in-depth discussion. 

Rhonda Peterson interviews Andee Marks about vocation. What does God want for us and how can we let him lead us there? It's a powerful journey that we must take to fulfill the master plan He made for us long ago.  

Rhonda Peterson, your Bold & Courageous Leader Coach, introduces a new way to approach living, loving, and receiving and giving God's grace. Learn the why's, how's, and what to look forward to in future Bold & Courageous Leader podcasts. Rhonda wants to help you to become the Bold & Courageous Leader that has always been inside yourself. Visit rhondapeterson.com for more!