3 MORE KEYS TO POWER

by Lance Webster

Last month we listed four keys to power: Establishing your values, creating a vision for the future, inventing a purpose for your life within that vision, and creating goals that support your values, vision and purpose. That’s fine as far as it goes, but there are three more essential keys to power:

COMMITMENT

Goals are expressions of where you want to be. Commitments are expressions of what you will do to get there. Commitments are specific. These are the things you promise to do by specific times, meeting specified criteria for completion. They are the means you have to measure your progress.

INTEGRITY

Up to now, its all been an intellectual exercise. ‘Integrity’ simply means doing what you said by when you said you would. It’s the hard part...doing what it takes to honor your commitments and be a person known for honoring your word.

ENROLLMENT

Up to now, you have Coach Lance’s Six Keys to Successful Personal Accomplishment. The ability to enroll others in your vision, your purpose and your goals, and gain their enthusiastic commitment, support, time, energy, money and other involvement is the final piece in the puzzle that gives you power. The secret is in your ability to move, touch and inspire others such that they are drawn to you and your project. Charisma is often thought of something one is born with, but there are ways of being that cause people to be thought of as charismatic. John F. Kennedy Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton all had many of the requisite qualities, to the degree that people easily overlooked their shortcomings and gave them both support and love. The bottom line is in your ability to listen, hear, and understand others such that they know you do; and help them see both the good in themselves, and the possibilities for themselves in the future.

This is the roadmap to a successful, powerful, meaningful life. Caution: it is almost impossible to travel this road alone. You’ll be most successful if you share the process with someone committed to your success: a loving and powerful spouse, a minister, rabbi or spiritual leader, a mentor, or a personal coach.

Or, of course, you can continue on your present course -- and see where you end up.

© 2008 Lance Webster, LW Communications & Coaching