I Know Who You Are . . . Do YOU?

Thanks to all who supported my inaugural Seeds 4 Growth newsletter last month and became a subscriber!

For those of you who read the first issue, welcome back! For those who did not, you’re not too late to join the movement. What I’m calling, The Purposeful Growth Revolution – the title of my upcoming book that is now available for pre-order.?

Check it out at: www.thepurposefulgrowthrevolution.com

If you would like a bit more background, I’m offering an exclusive offer to my LinkedIn contacts/followers for the opportunity to access a few chapter excerpts for FREE along with an inspirational video to motivate you to want to learn more!

https://www.markamears.com/free-book-chapters

In each issue my newsletter, I will use the Higher Power of 4’s to provide 4 seeds within a particular topic—all designed to help individuals, teams and organizations find purpose in fulfilling their true growth potential. And by doing so, grow leaders into legacy builders who desire to scatter their own seeds to make the world better.

Within the preface of my book, I give you a glimpse into who I am, what I stand for, where I’ve come from, and where I want to go—so what about you? Before you begin to answer that question, let me start you off with 4 things I already know about you, even though I may have never met you. Like a 4-leaf clover:

1. You are rare.
2. You are unique.
3. You are special.
4. You are valuable.

“It doesn’t matter if you work at a fast-food joint or if you are the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Your job title does not define your purpose. The size of your paycheck does not make you worthy. What makes you valuable is your contribution to the world and the legacy that you leave behind. Stop defining yourself by what you do and start defining yourself by who you are!”

— John Geiger, The Angel Effect

But to truly understand ourselves, we need to dig much deeper. In my experience, there are 4 different, but integrated dimensions that provide a holistic, 360-degree view of who you are:

1. Who you think you are
2. Who you actually are
3. Who others see you being
4. Who you desire to become

The 4 Dimensions of You Must Start with Authenticity

The first step in the journey to achieving your full growth potential is to start with an honest, candid assessment of who you really are—not necessarily who you think you are—incorporating feedback from others representing the various ways they see you behaving.

“He who knows others is learned. He who knows himself is wise.”

— Lao Tse

Finally, the essence of my thesis is to help you grow into the ideal version of you—who you were meant to be. An honest assessment of these 4 dimensions will help to provide a well-rounded, revolutionary view of what exactly makes you authentically you.

Dr. Stephen Joseph, author of Authenticity, discusses the topic in a blog post at Psychology Today’s website.

Philosophers throughout history have held the idea of authenticity in high esteem, but few psychologists have taken it seriously until recently when positive psychologists turned to understanding human flourishing.

First, there is our outer authenticity—how well what we say and do matches what is really going on inside us.

Second, there is our inner authenticity—how well we actually know ourselves and are aware of our inner states.

Not surprisingly, surveys show that, on average, people who scored higher on tests for authenticity are more satisfied with life, have higher self-esteem and are generally happier.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/what-doesnt-kill-us/201304/thine-own-self-be-true.

I agree with Dr. Joseph as there have been times when I felt the need to wear a metaphorical mask to conform to a situation. In each case, I had to ask myself whether I was being true to my personal brand or merely taking the path of least resistance to get through the moment. Just nod, smile, and keep moving forward—survive and advance, right? But who did that mask really fool? Only myself because the other people involved may not notice or care, or they may even be wearing masks themselves.

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

— Mohandas Gandhi

You see, we must first understand who we are so we can grow into the best possible version of ourselves. I do not believe this is a random evolutionary process, but an intentional revolutionary process where improvement can and should be continuous like the growth of a tree—day after day, month after month, and year after year.

And make no mistake, if you want to lead and manage others, you must first be able to lead and manage yourself.

Seeds 4 Growth

1. UBU

You must strive to be authentically you every day; however, that does not mean in a static sense. You have a purpose and the power to grow in each season to become the best possible version of the you God intended. But to be clear, who you are is not defined by what you do—the title on your business card is merely a title, and no doubt a temporary one. It does not reflect the true essence of who you are across every dimension. I believe in the power of a diverse, strengths-based organization and that each one of us has a “super power” that allows us to make significant contributions to the team.

Do you know what your “super power” is?

2. Be Open to Feedback

As we begin the self-reflection process, we must not only be honest with ourselves, but open to listening to helpful feedback from others. We’ve heard that feedback should be viewed as a gift. Oh, it’s a gift alright, until it is given to you! But like the pruning process makes a plant or tree grow stronger and more fruitful, the short-term pain of even the most well-intended feedback can help us grow into our purpose.

Are you open to the “gift” of feedback?

3. Strive for Net Positive

Years ago, GE championed the Net Promoter Score to provide metrics around their brand interactions. Likewise, you will undoubtedly have both positive and negative interactions with members of your team, or others throughout the internal organization and possibly even externally among third party supplier partners. That is unavoidable and perfectly natural as there are times we really nail it, and unfortunately, times we truly blow it. I can personally attest that a little humility goes a long way toward reparation and the rebuilding of trust.

When was the last time you apologized to someone for an offensive comment or action?

4. Cultivate Brand YOU

As you advance throughout your career, it will be like living in a fishbowl as everyone will be judging both your words and actions—including the meaning behind them (real or perceived). The sum of your words and actions will add up to represent Brand YOU and, like it or not, the perception of your personal brand can easily become a reality. Like the evaluation of any consumer brand, we want our products and services to live up to their promises. The same goes for Brand YOU!

Do your words and actions align with your personal brand?

“Once you know who you really are being is enough. You feel neither superior to anyone nor inferior to anyone and you have no need for approval because you’ve awakened to your own infinite worth.”

— Deepak Chopra

In my next newsletter, we'll dive into the the first dimension:?Who You Think You Are

Engage with me in the Comments if there is something here that resonates with you, and feel free to share this content with those who are likewise growth-minded.