How to inspire talented people to make a difference in our world.
John Sculley had been vice president at PepsiCo, where he had successfully made Pepsi the number-one brand in the “Cola Wars.” Actually, there was no reason for him, one of America’s top managers with a secure and highly paid position at PepsiCo, to join a bunch of young computer nerds in the West Coast. The reason why he finally agreed is Steve Jobs, who impressed him by his visionary ideas, and asked him a question to which he didn’t have an answer: “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?”
How to realize an impossible future and win the game.
Practice One — To realize an impossible future engage in impossible thinking.
- What difference would you like to make?
- What would you like to change or achieve, if it was possible?
- What looks impossible today, but if it could be done, would revolutionize our industry?
- What do you passionately care about so much that you would be willing to reinvent your entire self?
- Realize that a different future must force you to change the way you play the game, and the way you think about the game.
Practice Two — Replace “Rut” stories, or stories that get people stuck. Transform them into “River” stories, or stories of growth and learning; stories with no limiting beliefs. A Rut story is one’s negative response, or making an excuse to the challenges we face every day.
Reasons we tell Rut stories:
- Stress at home and work
- Laziness
- Pressure from others to do more work or chores
- Illnesses of all types
- Lack of knowledge on aspects of work and social events
- Fear
- Lack of communication
- Feeling misunderstood
Solutions to stop the Rut stories:
- Recognize the rut story. When you see it, reflect it. “You think people don’t care?”
- Break the grip of the story by making people aware of its self-sabotaging nature and unintended consequences. “When you think people don’t care, where does that leave you in relation to the problem?”
- Transform Rut stories into River stories by enabling people to revise their interpretations and see things in a new way. “What do you want people to think about you?”
Practice Three — Avoid self-limiting beliefs.
- Daimler Benz Company stated in the London Times in 1910 that the world market for cars would be limited to 10,000. The limiting factor? It was thought that it would never be possible to train more than that many chauffeurs.
- IBM founder Tom Watson predicated in the 1950’s that the world market for computers would be about 1,000. The limiting factor? Storage space.
What are your current self-limiting beliefs and Rut stories in your business?
Shawn Stewart is the Operations Manager at Gainesville Health and Fitness Center. Contact him at shawns@ghfc.com.
