The business world is built on a culture of personal achievement: If we’re smart and work hard, we’ll succeed and someday be the leaders everyone else looks up to. On one level, I stand with the proponents of capitalism in lauding the value of the personal achievement drive — the relentless innovation created largely by individuals seeking greater wealth and accomplishment over the last century or two has, in my opinion, done more to improve the quality of life around the globe than any other single force.
Still, the costs and limitations of a life and a world driven by the desire for personal success are equally obvious. On the individual side, personal achievement tends to crowd out the things that make life truly meaningful — relationships, family, personal growth and even health can all be consumed in the desire to achieve. On the organizational side, it creates dehumanizing machines that neglect people for the sake of profit. And, on a global scale, it has been largely responsible for environmental destruction, gross inequality and various other ills. So, the question is: Must we live with the downsides of the personal achievement drive in order to obtain its benefits, or might there be a better way?
From Boss to Leader
My purpose in writing this article is to suggest that there is already a better way emerging to a significant degree. That better way is rooted in a widespread evolution beyond the desire for personal achievement that is happening in people at every level across the globe. In particular, it is happening in leaders who have achieved some measure of personal success and have enough humility and self-awareness to recognize that it can only take them so far.
Leaders are finding that enduring success, particularly in today’s exceedingly complex world, is not created by sole actors and that contribution for its own sake is more deeply rewarding than achievement and the wealth and recognition it provides.
As leaders make the transition, the results are subtle but can add up to a dramatic increase in the effectiveness of their organizations. Leaving personal success behind brings a willingness to share control and decision-making throughout the organization, empowering individuals and enabling a more rapid, intelligent response to the ever-changing dynamics that are the norm in today’s world. Through their language and actions, these leaders are able to help shift the overall focus of pride from individuals to the organization itself, creating a culture of enthusiasm driven by collective success.
The net effect of these subtle shifts is that the organization begins to function as a synergistic whole, and this calls forth the best qualities of the individuals while also allowing for new insights and capabilities to emerge.
This type of leadership evolution is not new, but it has been gaining momentum rapidly in recent years, driven by the network effects of a critical mass of leaders making the transition as well as the market forces and increasing complexity that both demand qualitatively new leadership. By embracing this transition in ourselves and others, we are making life better for ourselves, our coworkers and the world while also preparing ourselves to be more effective in a future that will increasingly demand this kind of leadership. That is the great paradox we face: By letting go of striving for personal accomplishment, we can best position ourselves for success in the future.
The Self-Aware Leader
As business leaders, how can we facilitate this transition in ourselves? It comes from embracing any limitations we are bumping up against, having enough humility and awareness to let go of old ways of thinking and acting so we can see new insights as they are presenting themselves. The very challenges we are facing in growing our businesses can become catalysts for transition if we allow them.
If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that we are never as great of individuals as we purport to be and that our most meaningful accomplishments would not have been possible without the interdependent contributions of others. We may even reach a point of exhaustion with the game of continuously proving ourselves and give voice to the longing deep within us to be part of something larger. As we lay aside our relentless personal strivings, a subtler level of satisfaction and joy may naturally arise from taking our proper place in the whole of life, and by tuning into this, we may find it easier to give up our addiction to recognition and personal success.
I believe it is truly an exciting time to be involved in business leadership. The world is changing rapidly, and it favors leaders who are discovering motivations deeper than the personal achievement drive, creating an evolutionary dynamic that will spur more and more people to make the transition.
Bio:
Jon Shinn is COO of OPIE Software, a Gainesville-based company that provides electronic medical records software and practice management services to more than 900 orthotic and prosthetic patient care facilities across the U.S., Canada and Australia. He graduated from UF with a degree in computer engineering in 2000 and has spent his entire professional career managing the technology and human resources development at OPIE. [email protected].