Addicted to Progress

I happened upon an excellent TED talk recently: Michael Brody-Waite at TEDxNashville.

The speaker is a successful entrepreneur and former drug addict. The title of his talk was Great leaders do what drug addicts do. He made the point that addicts use every day or they don't use at all. It is binary. All or nothing.

During recovery, Michael learned three principles that are so important they have to be practiced every day in order for addicts to progress out of the wrong kind of addition. The irony is that these three principles are so powerful that they are actually the secret of success. However, like most success secrets, they require consistency, integrity, and discipline.

The three principles are as follows:

1. Practice rigorous authenticity.
2. Surrender the outcome.
3. Do uncomfortable work.

I had never seen these three principles listed as such. But of course the principles themselves are tried and tested. They are bulletproof. As old as time.

The speaker talks through his experience of the first principle. A sponsor of his on the rehabilitation program recognised him when he finally gave what he thought was a messy and over-emotional "share" at one of the recovery meetings. His mentor noted it was the first time he was vulnerable, honest, and real. It was the first time Mike had been 100% authentic. Subsequently, Mike learned to be completely honest with others even when applying for a job, or when an almost unnoticeable glitch occurred in his software which was being rolled out across a massive client portfolio. He found that the truth not only set him free, it set him up for success! The novelty of his refreshing honesty and reality struck a chord with society. His willingness to remove any masks and any armour, was widely applauded and embraced.

The speaker then goes on to expand on the second principle. He was promoted eight times in eight years by focusing on what he could control. He was really just focused on staying clean but his approach so resonated where he worked that he achieved one result after another. By being trustworthy, authentic, consistent and efficient, he became an asset. More than that he became an entrepreneur, and ultimately he became a leader. He has been clean for years but he still attends the rehab meetings because it is part of the accountability and mentoring process that works for him. Do the right things and the right things happen.The software glitch mentioned previously simply had to be reported. The outcome was surrendered... and if anything it built greater trust. In fact it built a company.

Uncomfortable work by definition takes place outside the comfort zone. Some call it deep practice, some call it deliberate practice. Interestingly, the speaker lands this message by revealing the uncomfortable truth (from a study) that we as individuals and as a society can't go 10 minutes without telling a lie. He states that we idolise superheroes, we hide our true selves, and we put CEOs on a pedestal. We do this because it has become comfortable to wear a mask or to follow someone who does not always tell the truth. The challenge Mike throws out is this; "Why would we follow anyone who is not practicing these three principles as if their lives depended on it?" An uncomfortable question to answer but the right question without a doubt.

I reflected on the excellent talk, and linked the principles to what I have experienced and learned over time.

1. It is critical to be true to ourselves and not to try to be someone else.
2. Focus on the right leading indicators and the lagging indicators take care of themselves.
3. Those leading activities are simple but seldom easy, however, we know they are worthwhile in the end. We need to consistently take action outside the comfort zone.

Progress is what inspires and motivates ourselves and our teams. These principles are proven to progress drug addicts out of addiction! Is there a better test for a successful methodology than that?

The Wright brothers were addicted to progressing their passion for flight. The fact that they were the first to achieve this amazing feat is an excellent example. They led the world of flight by demonstrating the principles of progress; they sought the truth, they surrendered the outcome, they never stopped doing uncomfortable work to achieve their dream.

Principles for Progress. We all have the power to proceed...