The 8th Habit – Introduction

The book starts off with a discussion of a current internal Pain plaguing our world; the subsequent Problem born from the Pain; and the Solution to it.

The Pain: It’s a general one acutely shared by millions. In short, very few of us are engaged in our work. We are asked to produce more for less in companies where full talents are not being utilized. As a result, people are not thriving and there is no excitement or fulfillment in their lives.

This new age in which we live, the Information Age, was born with the fall of the Berlin Wall. In this time, it is no longer enough to just be effective, we must be great which comprises a sense of fulfillment, passionate execution and significant contribution in our work. When these three components become part of our work, we find our voice and once we do that, we inspire others to find theirs. Much of the book is centered on this idea and there will be much more detail around it as we go along.

For those of you who may be wondering, voice is a short way of defining our unique personal significance which develops over time, much like a vision of one’s life, and it is found at the intersection of: talent, passion, need and conscience. It comes from sensing a human need in the world and if members of teams all find their voices, their effectiveness increases.

The Problem: Simply put, we’re using an outdated approach to work. The Hunter/Gatherer civilization was defined by a “Kill > Eat > Kill > Eat” routine practiced on a daily basis. The Agricultural civilization was born and it replaced its predecessor with new information, tools and skills. The Hunger/Gatherers of the world died off if they didn’t adapt.

Similarly, the Industrial age came along and replaced the Agricultural age. Machines were used to escalate work and make companies more productive. Once again, new information, tools and skills made the Agricultural revolution obsolete and people became things that could be plugged in and out of an assembly line. They became replaceable and automatic.

The Problem lies in our paradigm, the way we look at things. We are hanging on to the mindset that people are things, expenses and just bodies filling cubes. The information, tools and skills of this new Information age will render the Industrial age methods obsolete and open our eyes to the fact that people are four-dimensional: mind, body, heart and spirit. We need to learn, to live, to love and leave a legacy to successfully find our voice and reach our potential.

People are reduced to “things” when they are not used creatively, paid fairly, treated kindly or serving in principled ways and when any of these four are neglected, people will use their power of choice to give less of themselves in their work.

The Solution: In situations like this, someone in a group steps up and chooses to change themselves first rather than waiting from someone higher up to hand the solution down to them. They learn their gifts and nature and create a vision for themselves. They find their voice.

There are two parts to the solution and as I noted before, it’s the overarching theme of the book: Find your voice, and, Inspire Others To Find Theirs.

There are two paths when in comes to voice. The first is one of greatness which unleashes potential built on growth from the inside out. Following this path requires us to choose to become creative forces in life.

The second path is one of mediocrity and straight jacketed potential. It is based in quick-fix, attitude-change schemes. It embraces scarcity, indulgence, victimism, competitiveness and competition.

Next up: Part I: Find Your Voice