The first time I heard the phrase “order out of chaos,” I knew the concept would hold personal relevance. I just didn’t know how personal. The sentiment of the phrase echoes the words of Yehudi Menuhin, arguably one of the finest violinists of the 20th century. He defined music, like language, as simply a lens through which we make sense of sound – in essence, to create order out of auditory chaos.
I guess that by default my purpose in a lot of what I do in life is also a conscious effort to create order out of chaos. You see, I am a writer by trade. I speak, write and coach people for a living (I love to sell, too!). I help people with people, and in doing so, I help them create order out of their chaos…to make sense of what’s going on around them.
As a leader of others, your job, too, is to create order out of chaos for others, every day. If you sell, serve or lead, you influence others for a living. You are responsible for helping others make sense of what swirls around them every day…to help them create order out of their chaos. And the best way to do that? Figure out your rules of engagement.
Setting your own rules of engagement means establishing your standard of interactional excellence for the 21st century. Leading is different today, but a new set of rules will create order out of chaos:
- Discover what your people want you to know and do.
- Master today’s #1 leadership competency: being present with others.
- Learn to ask more and tell less.
- Target your influence where you can make the most of every leadership moment.
- Learn to follow an influence protocol to calibrate need and create positive movement in others.
Overcome inertia and do something different – today! I’ve given you five of my new rules of engagement for creating order out of chaos. What are yours?
