Last week, the book was “Read Your Mind” by Oz “The Mentalist” Pearlman. It was the February book for the Book Club in the Hardy Club, and we are scheduled to review it tomorrow.
Personally, I came out with two main big themes from the book. And, initially, I was thinking of writing about the first one. Which is what happens when you try to position yourself for everyone. But I changed my mind. Because the other theme struck a chord with me.
So, the topic this week is all about the power of truly caring in business and in life. Inspired by my favorite chapter in the book (Chapter Four: Focus on Others).
Ready to dive in?
Using Holographic Leadership
I’m a certified professional coach through iPEC. And I still remember one of the concepts we were introduced to back in the fall of 2019.
It’s what iPEC describes as “holographic thinking.”
What is holographic thinking?
It’s a 3-D way of making decisions that uses logic, emotions, and intuition:
- What makes sense, logically? What does the data say?
- How do you feel about the decisions? What will others feel?
- What is your inner voice telling you? Any gut feelings?
Now, as a business coach & consultant, I keep coming back to this idea. And view it from the lens of business leadership.
Here’s the thing.
In business, we talk a lot about numbers and data. Even with our clients, we set measurable goals, think strategically, and track progress.
Yet, numbers are only a small part of the process.
We all know that people buy based on emotions and then rationalize with data. Because we, human beings, are 100% emotional beings.
And don’t let me start on intuition. While there are some great examples of business leaders who used intuition successfully, this topic is generally taboo. And I promise, I’ll have more on this in the near future, but for now, let’s focus on the emotion part. Or what I call “heart energy.”
Yes, using holographic leadership is about tapping into all three – the mind, the heart, and the gut.
Each of them gives you something useful. A perspective the other two don’t have.
And when it comes to the heart, it expands your view as a business owner, allowing you to get deeper into your own feelings while also considering how decisions impact others: your clients, your family, your employees.
I find it useful to think of it this way:
- The mind is effective, yet it utilizes only the surface level of our thinking
- The heart is powerful because it taps deeper into who we are and how we operate
- The gut is mighty because it give us that knowing without knowing how we know
I know this might get a bit too much, so for now, just remember: tapping into your heart and truly caring for others makes you a better business owner and leader. It allows you to make decisions that increase revenue, improve culture, and impact lives.
So, the big question is: how can you connect with your heart and care in a way that elevates, and your business?
Tapping into Level 4 Energy
The simple answer is: tap into Level 4 Energy.
If the holographic thinking idea was interesting, let me tell you how life-changing the 7 Levels of Energy framework was for me!
It’s a framework created by iPEC and Bruce D. Schneider, and it changed how I show up at work and even at home.
I won’t get into details of the whole framework here, but in a nutshell, the 7 Levels of Energy present 7 perspectives or mindsets we can have. And, here, we will focus on one particular level: Level 4.
This is the heart energy. And it stems from the mindset of “How can I help YOU?”
When you approach situations with this perspective, your focus switches from you to the other people involved.
If you are in business where you have sales calls, this will be familiar.
Think back to a sales call when you were in your own head. You were worried about what to say and how to say it. Maybe, you followed a script to help you. Your palms were sweaty. And, most likely, you didn’t close the sale.
Now, think of a time when you focused on the other person. You truly cared about helping them. What happened?
Chances are that in the second situation you were not worried. You felt better and performed better. And if this was a sales call, you were able to move the person to the next stage of the process, and even close the sale.
This is the power of tapping into Level 4 Energy!
Because when we truly care about the other person, we are filled with emotions of compassion, sympathy, and gratitude. And when we are experiencing these emotions, there’s no room left for self-doubt or worry.
Even just writing about these emotions, I feel better. I feel more powerful.
Try it yourself.
The next time you have a sales call or are attending a networking event or talk with an employee, focus on them. Truly care about them with compassion and even curiosity.
I know this can be hard, especially if you are meeting people virtually. But we sense energy even through the screen.
I also know that you might be sceptical about bringing emotions into business. If you are a bit sceptical, treat it like an experiment. After all, we business owners, are like scientists. We are always testing new campaigns, messages, products, markets, you name it.
So, treat it like a mini experiment. Be open-minded and see how it works.
The key is to really tap into your heart. Which might be harder in the beginning. But as you practice, it will get easier and more natural.
Just focus on the other person and truly care about their experience.
What If You Already Care Too Much?
If you are like some of our clients, you probably already care. A lot.
A lawyer we work with has a motto of “killing them with kindness.” And she almost had a breakdown in December last year. Because she cares about her clients. And, sometimes this can be very overwhelming and demanding.
One key thing to know about the perspective of service & care is that it starts with you. It starts with focusing on your own self-care.
When we focus too much on helping others, we either get into the breakdown of victim mentality (“Why me?”, “No one cares about me?”, “I feel hopeless”) or get into frustration mode (“Won’t this person ever learn how to do this? I’ve explained it 100 times!!!”). This is a normal reaction of too much care and giving too much to others. And, depending on the situation, you might experience one or the other.
So, how do you prevent this?
By setting healthy boundaries. You matter. Your well-being and goals are important.
What boundaries can you set to recharge and stay sane?
Yes, caring for others is powerful and helps you succeed in business and in life. However, it all starts with caring for the person in the mirror.
So, I want to challenge you. This week, choose one thing you can do for yourself. Bonus points if it’s a habit you can continue doing at least once a week, maybe even daily.
No excuses. Start taking care of yourself today! This is the only way you can continue caring for others.
Exploring Level 4 Organizations
Now, imagine what happens when you have a team of people operating from the perspective of “How can I help YOU?”
Can you picture what a business looks like when the main focus is service?
Again, because there’s so much compassion, caring, trust, loyalty, and gratitude, there’s almost no space left for self-doubt and worrying.
There’s also less need to compete with others because employees know the business has unique offerings.
And, what’s even more important, is that the actions of people within the organization support the focus of service. Everyone in the business, from employees to customers to the broader community, truly reap personal and professional benefits while helping the company increase profits.
What Changes When Your Culture Elevates to Level 4?
One of our clients had a relatively successful business. He had clients and relatively predictable sales. But somehow things felt transactional. Yes, he was doing great work. Yet, there were no rave reviews.
Once he started tapping more into Level 4, things changed for him and for his business. Customers felt he truly cared and became more responsive. Email open rates increased, and so did sales. Networking became easier and even fun. While before he was going to events with the idea to grow his business, now he attends to build genuine connections. It’s still early in the process, and he hasn’t seen a lot of referrals yet, but things are starting to look different. More enjoyable and effortless.
Wouldn’t you want to lead this kind of business? A business that’s people-centric, service-focused, and profitable?
Starting with You
Well, if you answered “YES!” to the questions above, I’ve got great news for you.
It all starts with you.
As the business owner, you are the one who sets the example, even if you have a relatively big team.
Your mindset and perspective impact everyone in your company. So, once you start tapping more into Level 4 Energy, you’ll start seeing the impact in all areas of your business, and even personal life.
Also, once you start setting those boundaries, you’ll create a win-win situation where:
- You don’t get overextended
- Your team gets to depend less on you
- Your clients get to depend less on you
Because, while caring is powerful, over-caring is destructive.
If you are curious how this shows up in your leadership patterns, that’s what the ELI Assessment measures. Check it out here.
