The
1% Leader
by Mike Connor
Horsies
 It
was spring and there was a carnival in town. It was one of those
small weekend carnivals with a dozen rides and few booths, but it
was our two-year old daughter's first real taste of a merry-go-round.
The following day, Monday, she wanted to go back and see the horsies.
I tried
to explain to her that the fair had moved on to another town, but
she'd have none of it. Eventually she wore me down with her persistent
statements of "Let's check, daddy" and "Maybe the horsies are still
there." I decided to drive by where the carnival had been on my
way to pick up the babysitter, so she could actually see the vacant
lot and be satisfied the horsies were no longer there.
We
drove by the lot, now empty, and my daughter asked, once again,
"Where did they go?" I tried to explain, once again, that they had
moved on to another town, so that other children would also get
the chance to go on the rides. On the way to get the babysitter,
my daughter continued, with innocent tenacity, her quest to find
the horsies, stating "Maybe we can find them, daddy" and "We can
go to another town, too." I was in the middle of explaining to her
why it was highly unlikely that we'd see any horsies on our way
to pick up the babysitter, when I stopped myself.
 Why,
I wondered, do I feel the need to dampen her enthusiasm about seeing
more horsies? How do I know where the fair is? Who knows? Maybe
we will see some horsies. The moment after I opened my mind to the
possibility of horsies at 8 a.m. on a Monday morning and joined
my daughter's enthusiasm, we passed a nearby mall. I glanced over
and saw, you guessed it, horsies! I made a quick u-turn and pulled
into the mall parking lot, where carnival workers were assembling
rides, including a merry-go-round.
As
we spent a few minutes enjoying our little Monday morning miracle
together, I wondered whether or not I would have seen the horses
if I hadn't shifted my attitude from we won't see them to maybe
we will. I began considering all the areas of my life where I block
out opportunities and possibilities because my experience and beliefs
tell me they are unlikely or impossible. I looked back over at my
daughter and marveled in the gift she had just given me.
The 1% Miracle
I'm
not sure to whom to attribute the following quote. I heard it from
a colleague and a friend who, I'm sure, picked it up from another.
Nonetheless, it has provided me with a foundation for living life.
When
you give 50%, you get 50% in return;
When you give 75%, you get 75% in return;
When you give 90%, you get 90% in return;
When you give 99%, you get 99% in return;
When you give 100%, you get The Whole Universe in return.
What
does it mean to give 100%? What does it mean to let go of that last
shred of doubt or resistance and step across that chasm from 99%
to 100%? Those who have made the 1% leap know it. Those who have
not, I invite to explore it. 1% leaders have experienced the miracle
of 100% because they've trusted themselves enough to take that leap.
Words
can't adequately capture its magnitude. What does it mean to believe
so fully, to be committed so completely, to be aligned so clearly
that one literally taps into the power, creativity, and assistance
of the Universe?
Ponder
that question while I share another story with you.
A Matter of
Perspective in Bulgaria
Blagoevgrad
is a town of 60,000, two hours south of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.
It sits at the foothills of the breathtaking Purin and Rila mountain
ranges. The local soccer team's stadium served as my morning exercise
site while I lived there. I found myself running up and down the
steps of the stadium on a cool February morning, faced with a decision.
 Having
recently arrived from the United States as a consultant to the Bulgarian
Ministry of Health and having taken the initial steps to evaluate
the condition of the local hospital and the needs of its management
team, I was becoming increasingly clear on one simple, albeit profound,
truth. If external change is not matched with a corresponding inner
shift of beliefs, then the changes won't last long.
I had
gained the respect of the management team, consisting primarily
of the medical director and other influential physicians within
the hospital, rather quickly and we had, together, developed a plan
to address some of the organization's more apparent needs. Several
days later, two of these physicians appeared at my office door looking
somewhat despondent. They explained to me that the regulations established
by the Ministry of Health wouldn't allow us to implement our plan.
Along with their disappointment, I also sensed a sort of relief,
as if they had found a viable reason not to pursue our plan, which,
for them, was a sharp deviation from the routine they'd been practicing
for years. I requested a copy of the regulations so I could better
understand what we were up against.
Having
spent nearly a decade in health care in the States and having become
accustomed to the endless process of staying current with, deciphering,
and working with health care regulations and regulators, I fully
expected volumes of detailed regulations to arrive on my desk. Not
only was I dealing with a former communist county, but with a health
care system that had changed little in the interim. Certainly I
could expect even stronger, more detailed regulations in this country
where controlling human behavior, rather than expanding human potential,
was the guiding principle.
To
my amazement, I was presented with an 8 by 10 booklet. When I assumed
this was some type of summary and asked where the rest of the regulations
were, I was even more startled to be informed that these were, in
fact, all of the regulations. Upon being asked to point out the
specific regulation that was troublesome to our plan, my Bulgarian
colleagues seemed confused, as if not understanding my question.
They identified several problematic regulations, which, upon translation,
didn't appear to be issues to me.
In
the ensuing discussion, a light went off in my head. I began to
see that we were coming from totally different viewpoints. I assumed
we could do anything unless told otherwise, whereas they assumed
we could do something only if the regulations gave us the permission.
According to their way of thinking, if it's not stated in the regulations,
you can't do it.
As
this awareness began to sink in, the magnitude of its implications,
not just for the management team at the hospital but for the entire
society, became clearer. How could I possibly hope to make any substantial
progress working with a mindset deeply rooted in the belief that
external permission must precede initiative?
Tempted
to pack up my bags and go home, I instead shifted my focus to addressing
these core belief structures. Almost immediately I thought of a
seminar I had taken several years earlier that powerfully and effectively
addressed these paradigms and patterns of thinking that were deeply
rooted in my Bulgarian colleagues. The more I thought about the
seminar, the more it seemed like a perfect fit for this situation.
The problem, of course, was actually making such a seminar happen
in Bulgaria.
That
morning running on the steps in the soccer stadium, the decision
before me was whether or not to commit my efforts to plan, promote,
and organize an intensive six-day seminar. Doing so meant flying
in a trained facilitator and a team of ten assistants, finding an
adequate space, promoting and marketing a totally new form of training
in a former communist country, and establishing an office to work
out of - all within four months and with no budget. I had also been
in the country for less than a month and could neither speak nor
understand the language. Sound crazy?
A Leap of Faith
The
only thing pulling me towards this insane undertaking was that I
really, really wanted to do it. I wanted to do it because I felt
it was essential and foundational to any long-term progress. I wanted
to do it because I felt if we did one training, there might be more
to follow and that I might light a spark that could turn into a
great fire of awareness and effectiveness. I wanted to do it because
I wanted to do what seemed, on the surface, to be impossible. I
wanted to do it because I felt it was the greatest service I could
provide to the people of Blagoevgrad and Bulgaria. I wanted to do
it because, when I was really honest with myself, I knew if I chose
less, I would experience and see myself as less.
So,
somewhere towards the end of my workout, I got clear that there
was really only one choice that was truly on-purpose for me. I walked
back to my apartment totally certain that we would be doing a successful,
nationally promoted seminar in four months but without the foggiest
notion how that was going to happen.
You've
likely seen the quote below before, but none better captures the
essence of the 1% Miracle and my experience in Bulgaria. If you've
seen it before, do your best to read it as if you're reading it
for the first time. Be the child who knows that horsies are everywhere,
not the adult who dismisses anything "fanciful" or "unreasonable."
The miracle of 100% is rarely born of logic.
"Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw
back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative
(and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of
which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment
one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All
sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have
occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising
in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings
and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would
have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's
couplets: Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness
has genius, power and magic in it!"
~ W. B. Murray, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition, 1950
None
of the unforeseen incidents, meetings, and material assistance referred
to by Murray are possible at 99%. I had no Plan B for the seminar.
We were doing a seminar, no matter what. Had I had the slightest
crack in my commitment, it surely would have been exposed in the
next four months.
A Test of Commitment
As
if in response to my clear commitment, a number of things fell into
place quickly. I was able to secure a facilitator who was willing
to come at a reduced fee. I found a location and a translator and
made arrangements to use a local university's office to handle administrative
details and registrations. Anyone who's undertaken a venture knows,
however, that the rubber meets the road when it comes to sales and
financing. I needed paying customers in the room to offset my expenses.
This meant convincing people whose monthly income averaged $20 to
pay two months' worth of wages for a six-day training they'd never
heard of before, when all their previous training and education
had been supported by the state, at no expense to them. Not an easy
sell.
 I
got myself on national radio, I spoke at conferences, I printed
brochures and reached out to everyone I knew. I even went to a foundation
and requested a grant, although I had no officially recognized organization
or sponsor backing me. After doing everything I knew to do, I found
myself two weeks before the seminar with revenue projections at
20% of what I needed to offset my expenses. It wasn't so much that
people weren't interested, they just weren't able or willing to
pay the full tuition to attend.
The
facilitator had already booked his flight from the States. We had
assistants coming from three different continents. We had incurred
printing, translation, promotion, and travel expenses, and had committed
to use and pay for the space. I was in Sofia a week before the seminar
trying to figure out how I would handle the expenses. I felt in-over-my
-head and there was no turning back. Self-doubt and fear crept in.
Insecurity began to taint my thoughts. I feared the whole thing
would be a bust, and I would be the fool who had attempted something
impossible and, of course, failed.
Then
something shifted, as if a powerful force came forward from within,
bigger than the doubt, the fear, the money, or even the seminar.
I was committed to and acting on the very thing that, in my heart,
I believed in! I was living life fully, going for what was most
important for me. I was doing something wonderful and exciting.
I'd contact friends and family back home for loans to pay the bills
if I needed to, but we were doing a seminar - and it was going to
be great!
Upon
returning to the hospital in Blagoevgrad the following day, my interpreter,
who had been a huge support throughout the process, informed me
that a postcard had arrived for me and was on my desk. The tone
of her voice and the look in her eyes filled me with anticipation.
I went to my office, read the postcard, and wept. To my amazement,
the foundation that I applied to, with no organizational backing
or sponsors, had approved my grant in full. It was exactly what
I needed to pay for all the seminar-related expenses.
 The
seminar went beautifully and was so well received by those participating
that they requested more seminars. Now, ten years later, the seminars
continue in Bulgaria, run by Bulgarians who have learned to take
initiative, believe in themselves, and commit themselves fully to
what matters most to them.
The 1% Leader
What
do seminars in Bulgaria, Himalayan Expedition leaders, and merry-go-rounds
have in common? First and foremost, something that really, really
matters. A desire or a wanting that is neither born in the intellect
nor motivated primarily by money. My daughter really, really wanted
to see horsies again. Murray really, really wanted to climb Mount
Everest. I really, really wanted to bring a seminar to Bulgaria.
Secondly,
each of the above examples is similar in that the commitment was
made without knowing how the result would be created. 1% Leaders
don't allow methods to muddy their vision or obstacles to dampen
their dreams. They know that everything necessary for success will
show up along the way when they are willing to commit themselves
fully. 1% Leaders understand one important distinction about commitment:
You can't commit to what you're not committed to already.
1%
Leaders understand that the only way to believe so fully, to be
committed so completely, and to be aligned so clearly that one taps
into the power, creativity, and assistance of the Universe, is by
knowing what truly matters most to them. A "commitment" for any
other reason is not a true commitment. A goal, intention, or dream
maybe, but not a commitment.
A commitment,
as defined by 1% Leaders, has no maybe in it. Because it comes forward
from the deepest place of purpose within, it tends to generate enthusiasm,
anticipation, and adventure, rather than a sense of obligation or
unwanted responsibility. 1% Leaders are never motivated by a "should"
or "have to", and they understand that every commitment is, in fact,
a commitment to themselves. They understand, usually experientially
and sometimes intellectually, that a true commitment includes the
heart, mind, and body. The heart holds our deepest purpose and truest
desires and values. The mind formulates and implements the plan.
Our actions, aligned with our purpose and plan, complete the cycle
and open the space for the Universe to work with and through us.
More
importantly 1% Leaders also support others in their organizations
and on their teams in clarifying what matters most to them and committing
only to those projects, activities, and undertakings that line up
with their deepest sense of purpose. They understand that any other
approach is, ultimately, counterproductive. They understand that
people operating at a true 100% will not only enjoy the thrill of
the journey, but will also manifest results exponentially greater
than those operating at 99% or less.
The
primary motivator for assisting others in experiencing 100%, however,
is that 1% Leaders really, really want to. They thrill in the process
of assisting and supporting others in being the very best they can
be. It is, simply, who they are.
The Hologram
Shine
an image through a hologram and the result is a three-dimensional
image in space. Break the hologram into pieces, and shine the same
image through any one of the pieces, and, amazingly, you get the
same three-dimensional image. It's as if the entire hologram is
in each of the pieces. The whole is in all of the parts.
1%
Leaders know that each one of us is like a piece of the hologram.
The whole is within each of us. When we're willing to trust ourselves
and leap that last 1% into total commitment, the illusion of smallness
is lifted and the entire Universe, that was there all along, presents
itself in all its magnificence and glory.
The Whale
 Allow
me to conclude with one more brief story about my daughter, that
wonderful teacher of mine. Last summer we spent several weeks at
our favorite lake in upstate New York. My daughter had a number
of new beach toys, including a series of plastic aquatic animals.
I noticed, at one point, that the blue whale had been missing for
several days. I asked my daughter where it was and got no reply.
The
following day as my wife was leaving the beach, my daughter said,
"Mommy, wait." She was digging a hole in the sand with her shovel,
and, I assumed, simply wanted her mother to stay around a bit longer.
My wife started up the steps towards our cabin, and my daughter
again asked her to wait. Finally, about six inches under the surface,
she struck something with her shovel. Clearly left days before in
the surf, the blue whale emerged.
How
did she know it was there?
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