Enlightened self-interest

Enlightened self-interest is a philosophy in ethics which states that persons who act to further the interest of others (or the interest of the group or groups to which they belong), ultimately serve their self-interest.  How can you develop an enlightened self-interest and build a resilient, thriving culture? Especially in an environment of change, challenges and hyper-competition.

Developing enlightened self-interest

Develop anchors that drive engagement, empowerment, communication and collaboration.

Take a deep breath, get ready to stretch.  Optimizing your potential and the potential of your people means unlearning much of what worked in the past and is irrelevant today. Learn and unlearn?  Build adaptive thinking, and improve empowerment, engagement and execution.  YOU Betcha!

Here are six powerful, practical steps that will stretch you out of your comfort zone. Designed to inspire you with possibility and hopefully challenge you to build a resilient, thriving culture in disruptive times!

1. Champion enlightened self-interest because success is me to we equation

You are only as good as your people.  A successful business is a human business.  Today, more than ever before, purpose = profit.  Success means creating value for your employees, stakeholders, shareholders and the communities you serve.

2. Improve recruitment, employee retention and productivity by building a happier, healthier workplace

Offer health benefits, family-friendly policies (job sharing, childcare support, paid time off for family responsibilities), personal and professional development opportunities, and community-based projects.

3.  Build essential skills that will grow at the speed of change

Help your people build their 3Q Edge™ by offering coaching, training and mentoring initiative that helps them optimize strengths while using/transforming changes, challenges, stressors (even failures) into Q1:  Enhanced focus, strategic thought, ability to learn-relearn   Q2: Enhanced EQ/EQ, emotional self-management, communication, collaboration, resiliency, risk tolerance   Q3:  Enhance purpose, integrity of communication, actions and the development of intrinsic motivators that work when the chips are down.

4. Be a promise manager and leader who fails forward

Use every opportunity to model promise management and leadership. Build the DNA of all successful relationships, and trust. Do what you say, come through with the promises you make and when you fail, fess up to the error and teach your people the power of learning to fail forward.  Model it, teach it because the sheer velocity of change means that the best and brightest among us will fail.  Learning to use our failures to help us lead forward is a critical life and leadership skill.

5. Become relentlessly solution-focused.  Develop a new relationship with change, challenges and stressors

Neuroscience now confirms that our brains are set on an automatic negative, a default from our days in the cave when being on alert for surrounding predators was critical. Yes, we pick up negative occurrences, random thoughts etc. with the greatest facility; yes, our brains are conspiracy theorists!  The caveat is that we can learn to use simple steps that will help us reset the internal GPS, reset patterns, and habits of thought that impede our being solution-focused.

6. Encourage learning, growth, collaboration and action

Get out of your comfort zone daily. There is nothing comfortable about the era in which we are living and leading. Learn to embrace and use moments that take you out of your comfort zone as opportunities to stretch, grow, learn and succeed. Getting out of your comfort zone in small ways will help you develop greater emotional and mental adaptability in big ways. The imperative to challenge the status quo by developing new ways of thinking, communicating, collaborating and succeeding is written on the walls of our workplaces and organizations.  There is no time like the present to champion enlightened self-interest, build your 3Q Edge™ and take your organization forward!

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Executive Coach, Consultant, Trainer, Speaker and Writer, Irene is a trailblazer whose R-E-A-C-Hâ„¢ methodology and 3Q Edgeâ„¢ focus have helped forward-thinking people and organizations in Canada, USA and Europe USE strengths, changes, challenges and failures to achieve breakthrough results in their careers, communication, leadership and lives; exceptional Results that stick and grow at the speed of change. Yes, 3Q is unique in that it helps people build the mindset and skill-set that enables and optimizes potential in the face of change and challenges. First female CEO of a steel company in Canada, Irene Becker has a track record of accomplishments in business and in the community at large. Passionate about the integrity of her work, Irene goes the distance for her clients face to face, by telephone, Skype or video conferencing.