Leadership Gaps & Gains

Have you ever reached a point in your life when you realized you had so much more to give??

I vividly remember feeling this way when I met with my business school partner-in-crime at a small cafe in Istanbul back in June 2013. I could see it so clearly, the gap between where I was in life and the trajectory of where I could be. I had achieved so much up until this point in my life and felt like the pace of success was starting to slow down. It was disheartening for my ambitious ego. I was falling short of my potential and I knew it.

Many of us ambitious leaders want so much from this life. We not only want to grow successful businesses but develop thriving teams and disrupt industries while connecting with our local community, raising children and saving the planet. Sometimes reality aligns with our ideals but more often than not there is a space between the two.?

It’s up to you how you see the space between. Are you in the gap or the gain? Your perspective can make all the difference.

The Gap

In the gap, your focus is on the future. It's emphasis is on everything you are not. Although being future-oriented often carries a positive connotation of being a visionary or planner, in this context it leads to a scarcity mindset. You measure yourself against the person you desire to become today and fall short.

Example: The ambitious leader who dreams of becoming a CEO one day becomes frustrated when they are in the gap because they are not there yet. They have not yet grown into the role or cultivated the opportunies to reach their ideal goal yet. ?

When you are in the gap you feel like you are not good enough as you compare yourself to an ideal you have not yet reached. The gap often creates feelings of self pity and frustration and leads to inaction or counter productive action.

The Gain

The gain is an alternative perspective to the gap. In the gain, you measure yourself against your previous self not your future self. In the gain, you acknowledge all you have achieved to date and all the ways you have grown to become the person you are today. You have a growth mindset; one that embraces abundance and opportunity and recognizes progress.

Example: The ambitious leader who dreams of becoming a CEO one day becomes motivated when they are in the gain because they know that they have all the skills they desire to reach their goal, it's only a matter of time and growth.

They can concretely point out the wins in their career that helped them climb the corporate ladder so far and all of the skills and life lessons they learned along the way. They believe that they have what it takes to reach their ideal target because they know they have already done it in the past on a smaller scale.

When you are in the gain you feel confident and motivated to become the leader you aspire to be. You measure backwards not forwards and recognize progress; all of the moments of growth that helped you get from who you were to who you are now and who you could be.

You are in control of your perspective

Every moment can be viewed from the gap or the gain. It’s up to you to decide if you come from a place of scarcity (measure against your ideal future state) or growth (recognizing progress from your journey). A simple shift in perspective can spark a different emotional state (excitement or frustration) and the consequential action (progress or stuckness). Which perspective will you embrace today?

For further learning, I recommend reading “The Gap or the Gain” by Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy who dive deep into both perspectives and the implications therefrom.?

Coaching is a safe space to explore all perspectives. There may be seasons of life where you lead from a place of scarcity with feelings of stress, frustration and fear and other times when you lead from growth, abundance and opportunity.

Let me help you gain the awareness of both perspectives through the Energy Leadership Index? Assessment. Through an attitudinal assessment based on extensive research, you learn more about how you lead when you feel on top of the world and how you lead when you are stressed. Self-awareness allows you to consciously decide how you choose to act as a leader and drive monumental impact to reach your corporate goals sooner. Book a discovery call today.

Elevate champions leaders with big hearts, big missions and big goals to realize the limitless potential that is within. We partner with business leaders and companies from all over the world who are eager to drive monumental and sustainable impact. Our leadership programs are the catalyst for paramount growth as clients work towards their goals with more energy, clarity and confidence than ever before. Learn more at www.elevateleadership.global.

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