Developing a Personal Philosophy: Four Steps to Create Clarity

I am helping coach an 8u fall baseball team.  The game of baseball is important to me; however, the life-lessons sport can teach are even more meaningful.  We’ve all either witnessed or heard horror stories of youth athletics. Instead of being a judge, I wanted to get involved.  My friend is the head coach and I agreed to assist.  Everything was going smoothly at first.  Then we found ourselves in a situation.

The league our team plays in is “machine pitch.”  Our boys have struggled at times adjusting to the machine.  We were scrimmaging a team from another league that plays “coach pitch.”  We agreed before the game that we would use the machine and they could have a coach pitch to their team.  Well, like it often does, the game became competitive.  We found ourselves down four runs.  The other team’s fans were excited and our fans were encouraging our boys as well.  The moment came where we had the thought, “what if we switched for the last few innings and let our boys hit off a coach instead of the machine?”  We were the better team.  Our egos (players, parents and coaches) were on the line.

This was one of those “in the moment” decisions.  Fortunately for us, at the start of the season we sent out an email that clearly stated our coaching philosophy and objectives.  Here is the full note:

Hi Everyone:
Thanks for allowing us to work with your sons this fall.  I am helping Rolly with the organization and instruction of the team.  We have a few goals for this fall:

Mike

Personal Philosophy:
One of my favorite podcast is “Finding Mastery: Conversations with Michael Gervais.”  If you are interested in listening to rich conversations with leaders in business, education, leadership and sport I would highly recommend it.  Recently, Gervais was a guest on another one of my favorite Podcast: “The School of Greatness” hosted by Lewis Howes.  Gervais discussed the importance of having a personal philosophy.  Please reflect for a moment, if you were asked, “Tell me what you are all about?” Or, “who are you,” would you be able to give a clear answer?  Most people struggle with this; if you lack clarity you are not alone.  So, why is it important to have a personal philosophy? Because, if we don’t know ourselves we cannot effectively lead and serve others.

According to Gervais, the key is to, “align our thoughts, words and actions.”  Our personal philosophy is always evolving.  Here are four tips, inspired by Gervais, to help you clarify your philosophy.

1.  Be Around Wise People: Proximity is power.  Seek out a mentor who embodies the values and characteristics that you admire.  On a personal note, this has been critical in my development.  By approaching life with a “white belt mentality” I’ve attracted many different people, from all walks of life, that have made a significant impact.  Who do I admire most?  I gravitate to those who pursue excellence in their craft and they integrate their families into their profession.  I admire people who are aware of their legacy, seek progress, and strive to make a positive difference.
2. Write: My first “blog post” was in November of 2015; however, I have been writing regularly for nearly 15 years.  Putting pen to paper has an amazing way of providing clarity.  Challenge yourself this week: force yourself to write one paragraph on something important to you.  If we can’t put our thoughts onto paper, we lack clarity.
3. Listening-Mindfulness Practice: Gervais recommends creating the time and space to listen to our thoughts.  Listening to the answer of “who am I” can take us on a challenging and rewarding journey.  The idea of mindfulness is hard for me.  Currently, I am exploring the art of meditation.  I recently started a 10-day free trial on “Head Space.”  If anyone has thoughts or suggestions on ways to assist in this journey, please let me know.
4. Make a List: If you are having trouble getting started make a list of people who inspire you and write down the characteristics you admire most about them.  Through this exercise, your values and objectives will become clear.

Leadership Thought:
How can we effectively lead others if we lack clarity in our personal philosophy?  Once we get clear in who we are, then we can lead with conviction.  Before you dismiss this week’s newsletter, please consider for a moment the most influential leaders in history.  Most change agents, the one’s who have the greatest impact on society, are the ones who were crystal clear in their mission.  They knew their life philosophy and were able to lead with confidence in times of adversity.  We know that leadership is hard. We are faced with challenges and tough decisions daily.  If we lack a philosophy life will push us around.  Those who “know thyself” will have the strength to weather life’s storms.

Conclusion:
Despite of the external pressure, our coaching philosophy of fun, sportsmanship, and development allowed us to make a sound decision.  We made the right call and stuck with the pitching machine.  Our boys found a way to score four runs in the last inning and the game finished in a tie.  Our philosophy empowered us to “stay above the line” when the situation wanted us to bend.

This week, let’s do the hard work.  Most people never address their “baggage” and they pass their fears and insecurities onto to those they lead.  Getting to know ourselves will allow us to lead authentically.  It’s the edge we need.  More importantly, it’s the edge our children, students, and colleagues deserve.

Make it a great week,

Mike

P.S. I would love to hear your personal philosophy.  Please send me an email so we can share ideas.