In one of my favorite leadership books, “The Art of Possibility” is the concept of “giving an A”.    This practice transforms our unconscious habit of judging and assessing people and/or situations  to consciously choosing an interpretation of outstanding performance.   Of course, when we are judging we typically are assessing that the person/situation is “not enough” or “not good enough”.   And it is inside this context of “not enough” or “not good enough” that much of our dissatisfaction and upset resides.

I invite you to “Break this Habit”… as someone once said “Stop the Madness!!”  How???

Start with “Giving an A” to individuals who annoy you, or make you angry/upset.   What do I mean?

Instead of assuming that the individual is intentionally trying to upset you, consider that they are simply unaware and  they’re doing the best  they can!   And as you pause to consider this,  if the person was relating to you perfectly, essentially giving  an “A” performance – what would it look like?

  • What would the person be saying?
  • What mood/emotion is the person bringing?
  • What is the person doing?  Imagine their physical presence – what does it look like?

As you are reflecting on this, envision yourself relating to that person in this exact manner.  Actually try it!!!!

You give the “A” performance.

What happened?