“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” – Steve Jobs
Regret … quite a simple; yet, complex word that volumes of books have been written. Let’s boil this down to its one, primary (not the only) root cause: DMQ-Un-Courage (DMQ=Decision Making Quality). Someone may have high DMQ, but lacks the courage to actually make, say, act, etc., excellent decisions. Often, these decisions appear at the time, to be unorthodox decisions, that can profoundly impact our lives.
For many; un-courage is the lead architect in constructing the paths to their destinies.
We often prefer to make commonly-held “safe” decisions, but these enable our lives to drift like a stick on a pond, just following the current. These “safe” decisions are actually the riskiest decisions a Top-7%’er can make, given what is potentially forfeited.
Top-7%’ers often fail miserably, crash and burn; etc., but, lead a purpose-driven life full of amazing experiences, people and “disciples”. Disciples are those whom the Top-7%’ers have positively impacted and helped them pursue the best forks in their life journeys. DMQ-Courage is a valuable gift Top-7%’ers unconditionally share with their hand-selected disciples.
I was the beneficiary of several Top-7%’ers contributing to my success early in my life (teenager), throughout my career and I’ve been blessed this year as well. I was too young / immature / naïve to fully understand or fully appreciate the rare gifts they shared with me early in life (although I naively thought I did). The great news, much of it was appreciated and comprehended. Their impact enabled / enables me to consistently make courageous choices (with no guarantees of success) at various forks in my special journey through life. I’ve truly been blessed as each of them has impacted and changed the course of my entire life, professionally and personally, each day since meeting them.
When I run across 20-somethings that “get it” and ask me intelligent questions, I go out of my way to help them; with two caveats.
First; my protocol is to determine if they can actually implement “gets it” concepts or just understand the concepts. If they can only understand the concepts, no investment of additional time is warranted. If they have the capacity to implement the concepts, the second check is to determine if they have the DMQ-Courage to actually implement what is needed. As you can determine, it does take time to reach a conclusion, that may change later.
In my corporate life, I’d take the place of our HR professionals to do interviews all day long (10-15) with Seniors at The Ohio State University. (Why; when it didn’t require someone at my level to do this?) I was always looking for the company’s future VP’s or higher. How many have I found just in my corporate career? It’s now over 35. Find talent early, embolden their lives so they have the DMQ-Courage to reach the Pinnacle of their Potential, personally, professionally and in the communities!
Painting the picture of courage, from my own experiences of failures, enables 20-somethings to understand the level of DMQ-Courage it takes to be a Top-7%’er. Yes; 93% won’t have what it takes; especially over the long haul.
Most people are Wanna-Be-Top-7%’ers. Unfortunately, they lack the courage, inner-circle, tenacity, grit, patience, love and social conscience to be a Top-7%’er.
A college student recently shared with me their Vision of a Future-Self, which is an impressive skill in and of itself. The language chosen, through no prompting on my part, caught my attention. This person realized, currently they weren’t surrounded by the people that were going to help them get where they were going long-term (professionally and personally) or even be able to keep up with them during their special journey. They demonstrated their DMQ-Courage first by realizing this; and then, by having tough conversations with each. Excellent!
DMQ-Courage – A must-have competency for those who dare to lead a life journey on the paradoxical road less traveled, which includes many analogies!
- Shattered Dreams : Picturesque Rainbows
- Thorny Bushes : Lush-Green Fields
- Wicked Thunderstorms : Breathtaking Sunsets
- Promises with Expiration Dates : Unconditional Love Without Strings Attached, etc.
Who changes the world? I believe it’s almost exclusively the Top-7%. They are the only ones with the Talent Portfolios and social consciences needed to actually implement significant positive social impact.
If you believe you’re one of these executives, we’d love to explore possible opportunities.
Get Making A Difference! ~ JR
