Personal mastery, is a term that is bandied about quite a bit these days, but what does it really mean? Many people will tell you that it is a vague and elusive concept and that the harder they try, the more they never quite arrive at their destination, a perfectly mastered self.
But what if we told you that that frustration and the imperfection is evidence that you are, in fact, well advanced on your personal mastery journey? Personal mastery, says American systems scientist Peter Senge who coined the term, is constant discovery. In ‘The Fifth Discipline’, Senge says, ‘People with a high level of personal mastery live in a continual learning mode. They never “arrive”.’
The first time you hear this, you might remember that old cliché: life is a journey, not a destination. And that’s not wrong. But Senge is actually saying that you are a journey, not a destination. Your self is an unfolding process of thrill and discovery and you can choose to embrace that.
In a recent poll by Henley Business School Africa, the majority of respondents found that fear and self-doubt were their biggest obstacles on the road to self-mastery. So the good news is, that’s a positive sign too: fear is, after all, a common part of discovery. The best thing you can do is to stay curious and dive into what’s causing that fear and self-doubt and what you can learn from it.
Keep walking – keep building
Imagine for a moment, and don’t take this personally, but that you are a house. Seriously. We mean that as a compliment. Now consider that fear and self-doubt, those distractions that slow your growth – the lack of clarity and support you sometimes experience – these things are just furniture.
This means these things can be changed or moved into a side room. It’s not about eliminating these feelings, but you can make your house a little more comfortable. It is your house after all!
Fedeline Elie, who teaches on the personal mastery short programme at Henley Business School Africa says that the great thing about personal mastery is that you really don’t need any qualifications to qualify to embark on this redecoration exercise, you really just need yourself. ‘Anyone who is seeking to enhance their lives and who has a genuine curiosity about themselves can improve their intra-personal and interpersonal leadership and effective relationship building, brush up on their leadership presence and influence and invest time in mind-body integration through mindfulness and other practices.’
According to Forbes, these qualities will help you to produce great results consistently, meet your goals, and grow your business.
Telling it like it is
If your self is the journey, then a good companion to have along for the ride is high-impact communication.
Like personal mastery, high-impact communication is a must-have skill if you want to elevate your management abilities in the hurly burly of today’s workplaces. Gone are the days when communication was considered a ‘soft skill’. As the Harvard Business Review says, ‘You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can’t persuade anyone else to follow your vision, your influence and impact will be greatly diminished.’
If personal mastery is about reaching a deeper connection with yourself, then high-impact communication is about reaching a deeper connection with others. It requires commitment to the people around you, and it asks that you respect them and their intelligence. It’s about knowing how to create a safe and authentic space so people feel emboldened to contribute and step up, to innovate, participate and build with you.
There are some tried-and-tested ways to do this, says David Joshua, who teaches on the High Impact Communication short programme at Henley Business School. From storytelling and boosting engagement through tweaking body language and forging emotional resonance both in face-to-face and written communications. These skills can all help to hone your ability to persuade your listeners or stakeholders to get on board and are all abilities you can acquire and practice, he says.
‘The poet Emily Dickinson said, “I know of nothing more powerful in this universe than the word”, and I agree with her,’ comments Josuha. ‘It’s worth bearing in mind that everything we do is mediated by and facilitated from communication – it’s a superpower, and those who have the ability to communicate well and empower themselves and others can create a legacy with waves that ripple across time.’
Sign up now!
The next intake for Henley Business School Africa’s Personal Mastery course is on 11 September 2024; the High Impact Communication programme has openings on 20-21 August. What are you waiting for? Become the manager of the future – sign up today! DM