A little over seven years ago, I walked into what was the Union Square Ballroom to check out a NYC Chapter that was known back then as Lucky 62. I had connected with a guy named Conrad — a guy who, at that time, I only knew from the email response to my request to visit the Chapter. I had some breakfast, sat down, and made some small talk with a few members and guests.
And then Amy got up to start the meeting and I immediately noticed the way she powerfully held herself, and the room. And then one by one those who would become my fellow “Lucky’s…” — and many who are still fellow Elevators — got up and delivered their commercials. The caliber of the people was so clear to me. I was immediately impressed. I believed that I could trust pretty much everyone who spoke. And that’s the key, isn’t it? We can only make referrals to those whom we trust.
There was greatness in the room then. And there is greatness in *this* room now. You can feel it, right? And when we look around we can see it and hear it too.
I used to spend a full weekend per month training teams of coaches, and always continuing my education to be a better coach. During one of the morning sessions, one of the Senior leaders of my team asked us an interesting question.
“What do you do with your greatness?”
A powerful conversation followed as we all took a look for ourselves and shared what we saw.
Ultimately we all had variations of hiding or playing small. And just like all of you, these were incredible people — remarkable coaches and leaders.
My assertion is that if you’re willing to be open-minded — and you take a look — perhaps you’ll see where *you* might be playing small. Maybe it’s as subtle as deflecting a compliment — rather than fully owning it. Or maybe it’s declaring goals that are safe and unworthy of you. Or not declaring goals at all. Maybe it’s getting stopped and staying there. Or “checking out,” after a loss, or even a big win. Sometimes wins are more confronting than losses.
We all have flavors of it. So today, ask yourself, “Where am I playing small?”
And when you find it, don’t simply rush to fix it. Sit with it, get to know it. Be kind to yourself. Get present to what you really want to create. And then take a simple, appropriate action to move that part of life or business forward.
We all play small sometimes. It’s safe, less scary, and it’s inside our comfort zones.
But we don’t have to. We can create whatever we want.
We deserve it. We’re great. Really great. And if you look at this screen, to your left and to your right, above and below, on the multiple pages of faces… you’ll see that it’s not just within us, it’s all around us.
So distill the crux of who you are and what you do down to a potent message and nail your commercial today. Pass a referral, because you can. Ask for one, because you can. Invite other leaders as guests.
Give and gain.
Only entities that can grow and change will last. Everything fixed eventually fades away.
So decide what’s next for you to create, get clear about what you’ll need, and then go create it.
