Leadership and Reality or are You living in the Outer Limits of Your Twilight Zone?

Leadership and Reality or are You living in the Outer Limits of Your Twilight Zone? 
A Leader’s first responsibility is to define reality and then work with that reality. I think back to my younger days, and yes, I am dating myself but that’s okay, to two programs that ran in Black and White on my color TV. Those two shows were the Outer Limits and the Twilight Zone (see attached videos at end of post).Now I have chosen these two shows which were in the day supposed to be of a science fiction nature but with closer scrutiny will hopefully lead you to ponder and think after reading this blog or listening to my podcast version.The Outer Limits began with a voice telling me that there was nothing wrong with my TV set, which for the young person that I was, suddenly thought that some force had taken over control of said TV. The voice would go on to say that they were controlling the transmission. The Horizontal and the Vertical etc.  As far as the Twilight Zone was concerned, well let me provide you with that opening word for word:

There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.

So you may be asking, Twilight Zone? Outer Limits? Reality? Well yes, exactly. You see we all and I will include ALL of us tend to visit these dimensions in our quest to discover “What is Real”. Too often, we get stuck in our “settle for” mode and fail to take adequate advantage of what we have and use those tools to bring us greater success. And that is where leadership comes in. A return from the Twilight Zone of our lives to the Reality Zone that we need to pursue. Let me go back to my opening statement and bring this writing home. A Leader’s first responsibility is to define reality and then work with that reality. Oh, did I mention that each of our realities may differ? And while the statement is pretty clear and makes sense it clearly also does not imply that you will be good at it.

Leadership is being dissatisfied with the current reality. Your current reality or the team’s current reality. Take your pick. So let me ask you, are you where you want to be? Do you even know when you get there that you are there? And are you or will you be satisfied? As we go through life, we go through different phases. It matters not what generation you are in be you a Boomer, X, Y, Millennial, Centennial or even this new one called “igen”. There is more to life then being in a rut. Did you know that a rut is just a grave with the ends lopped off? What should your actions be? Today is the day! As my mentor Dr. John C. Maxwell, the World’s #1 Leadership and Management Authority always says…YELN! Yesterday ended last night. And to take it a step further “Tomorrow Starts Now” . Today is the day that you need to start learning to be dissatisfied with the reality around you. There are many positive things that await you out there. You have been put on this earth with talents and treasures that only YOU will be able to bring forth to mankind. What a waste if mankind never gets to benefit from what YOU have to offer.

People generally change only when they hurt enough that they have to or that they have learned enough that they want to. There are enough cases in your life where things are staring you right in the face and yet you still refuse to accept or face the reality that awaits.

There are 6 rules for successful leadership according to Jack Welch (there are probably more but these 6 will suffice for this writing):
1. Control your destiny or someone else will
2. Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it were.
3. Be candid with everyone
4. Don’t manage, lead
5. Change before you have to
6. If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete

So just short of having someone throw a bucket of ice cold water in your face, know that “Realistic” Leaders are objective enough to minimize illusions and that self-deception cant cost them their vision. Ask yourself the following 6 questions on your way to your “reality check”:
1. What is reality in this situation (the one that you are currently in)?
2. Can I identify each issue? Can I break down reality to better understand it?
3. Cann the issues be fixed? Separate the solvable from the unsolvable.
4. What are the options? Establish a game plan.
5. Am I willing to follow the game plan? My commitment as a leader is essential.
6. Will my leadership team follow the game plan? Their commitment as leaders is also essential.
You may want to keep a copy of these 6 question on hand for ready reference. These questions will compel you to look realistically at the issues rather than glossing over and putting a positive spin on them. Hey, why not pick up a Leadership book, get a Leadership DVD or CD and most of all, go to your quiet space and meditate and then write down the goals…YOUR Goals that come to your mind. I can guarantee you won’t be alone in your quiet space.

So now that we have traversed the twilight zone of reality and to use the closing remarks from that classic Outer Limits TV Show…We now return control of your television set (Reality) to you. Until next week at the same time, when the control voice will take you to – The Outer Limits.

Oh by the way, if you want to pursue some REAL reality, contact me today at [email protected] or on Facebook at Bermuda Bob Your Transformational Leadership Expert and let’s get you in a mastermind group. Now that’s real!

Peace. BB

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