When you are in the presence of someone who is masterfully doing what they were born to do, it’s a beautiful and memorable thing. I’ve watched artists and musicians, chefs and athletes, speakers and trainers perform in ways that I can only describe as divinely inspired, and one of those times was watching my good friend and fellow trainer, Ian McKelvie, founder and lead trainer of BECAUZ!, working his magic intuition and skillful prodding of a group in search of greater potential and impact. I learned so much just watching him and still use what I learned today.
When I read the following article about the leadership lessons Ian learned while spending a few days on a BMW high-performance test track, I was struck by how applicable and transferrable these lessons are to dental, healthcare, and service industries I serve. In particular, I use the notion of coming into trainings and leadership lessons with a beginner’s mind. I’ve heard that before, but his article brought it home to me again. It was a big reminder to stop worrying that I should already know this and stop trying to run the new ideas through the old filter of what I think I already know. Brilliant, Ian … thank you!
This week, I hope you’ll read Ian’s article and discuss his insightful points about the leadership of high performance teams. I also hope you’ll experiment with the idea of a “beginner’s mind” at your next team meeting, workshop or seminar when presented with new ideas and concepts.
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.”
~ Shunryu Suzuki, Japanese Zen priest
