One of the things I learned in my years of experience as a business leader coach is to practice giving an A to an aspiring business leader.
Michaelangelo is often quoted as having said that inside every block of stone or marble dwells a beautiful statue; one need only remove the excess material to reveal the work of art within.
As human beings we have been in relationship of measurement for such a very long time. Giving an A transports our relationships from the world of measurement to the universe of possibility.
I have often encountered people that most of the time would fall below my standard of an aspiring business leader. I realized that not everyone was born immediately a leader. Yes, the standard would set the bar for the kind of business leaders I am looking for, however it does not deny the fact that I too started as a beginner. I too am below the standard of someone when I first started.
When you give an A, you find yourself speaking to people not from a place of measuring how they stack up against your standards, but from a place of respect that gives them room to realize themselves.
One of the things I have observed when mentoring a beginner in business is that, most of them at first appear to be disengaged. The first impression most people would have on them is that, they don’t have the looks and qualities of a would-be successful person. However, time is the greatest equalizer, I realized that sometimes the player who looks least engaged may be the most committed member of the community.
This is precisely why I always tell my mentees to allow themselves to go through a process while being aware of the existing standard of success of the community because I believe that even before they became part of the business community and came into my life, they are already an A person.
Some people might say that this is just merely an exercise being positive despite a negative opinion. Giving an A does not mean to deny the fact of their shortcomings, and no action is so bad that behind it I cannot recognize a human being to whom I can speak the truth.
Granting an A does not mean that my mentees will no longer be lazy. I can give a hard headed too independent mentee an A and she will still be doing his or own thing the next day. However, the conversation between me and the person will go differently because she will have come before me whose true nature is to participate-however blocked he/she may be.
In one of the supporters of learning according to Chalmers Brothers, you cannot learn from someone whom you do not respect. When we grant an A to a person, we can be open to a perspective different from our own, for after all according to Rosamund and Benjamin Zanders, it is only to a person to whom we have granted an A that we will really listen, admire and respect and it is in that rare instance when you have ears for another person that you can truly appreciate a fresh point of view.
In the measured context of our everyday life, the “grades” we hand out often rise and fall based on our moods and opinions. We may hate someone over an issue, be angry with someone over another issue and lower their “grade” and never quite hear what they have to say again. In the world of measurement things are fixed, however in the universe of possibility, people certainly can change. As Dr. Hmberto Matunara said, our structure is not fixed and permanent, instead it is highly plastic and continuously changing.
A lot of my mentees now are now business coaches themselves. I am definitely sure that granting an A is something they have to choose to grant to their mentees as well. It’s a space of willingness to see miracles happen right before your eyes by granting someone an A. I learned that the only grace you can have is the grace you can imagine. An A radiates possibility though family, community, granting love, strength, courage, bringing joy and an abundance of talents and productivity.
You just don’t know how far it will travel.
