EXECUTIVE POWER

To speak of executive control (#54) is also to speak about executive power. If we ask, “What is the power that enables us to step up and fully exercise our executive rights as a person?” after we talk about the four innate “powers,” there is the power or energy that refers to vitality. This is the sense of being fully alive as a person— alive to life, to possibilities, and to unleashing our potentials. It is the vitality of living for something that is bigger than yourself, hence a sense of meaning, meaningfulness, and purpose.

To relate that to executives in organizations, we know that a vigorous and inspiring vision can make all the difference in the world. But the problem with the great majority of businesses and organizations is that they do not have a vision. Oh, they might have a so-called “vision” that they post on a wall or carry around in their billfolds. But it may not be a true vision. It is a forecast by the top brass about desired profits! Or it is a fluffly vague dream coded in some big fancy words. It is not a well-formed vision that activates a spirit of inspiration in all who read it.

A real vision is, in the final analysis, a highly meaningful description of living inspirational values. It is also actionable— people can unite to live those values. And it is not the superficial value of more money, profit, or status. A true vision inspires hope, determination, and commitment in the minds and hearts of people. Their values resonate with it.

True well-formed visions also tend not to be urgent. Important— yes; but urgent— usually not. As Covey so effectively laid out in Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (1987), confusing urgent with importance prevents people from clear thinking about values. The confusion of urgency with importance leaves many people running from one urgent crisis to the next. They are always putting out fires and procrastinating on what’s truly important.

The problem is neuro-semantic in nature. When something is urgent, we usually feel a need and demand to hurry up and take care of it. Urgency is felt as a push, a demand, a requirement, even as a threat of danger if we don’t. We then neurologically translate that to “it must be important.” Now we have a Meta-Model complex equivalent, urgency feelings = importance. But it is a lie. Just because something is presented as urgent does not make it important. Just because there is a ringing phone, a person knocking on the door, a project that is due, a TV that’s blaring, etc. does not make it important.

This is where you really need to develop and access your executive functions. That’s because there’s power (vitality) in your executive functions—

1) Response inhibition and emotional control — the power of restraint.

2) Reflecting and meta-cognition — the power of awareness, insight and meaning construction.

3) Working memory — the power of remembering, holding in mind.

4) Task initiation — the power of proactivity.

5) Sustained attention: attending, staying focused — the power of focus, concentration.

6) Intentionality and planning — the power of planning. — the power of intention.

7) Organizing: Prioritizing, sequencing — the power of organizing.

8) Time management — the power of sequencing events.

9) Flexibility in adapting, dealing with change — the power of adjusting.

10) Goal-directed persistence — the power of persistence.

11) Stress tolerance — the power of utilizing stress.

12) Social intelligence communicating, empathy — the power of connection, collaboration.

There’s power for vitality and energy in your executive functions. If you feel low energy, low motivation, depressed, discouraged, procrastinating, etc. — you have not adequately identified, developed, and activated your executive functions. When you do activate them, you have the true executive power to set an orientation for yourself that will be full of meaning, give you a sense of purpose, and you will be able to sustain it in your focus.

Now, are you that kind of executive with yourself? With the goals you set, the values you strive to experience, and the way you live? Do you wake up with a sense of vitality about the rich meaningfulness in the purpose of your life? You can ... if you want to. You can learn to engage in executive thinking, executive learning, executive deciding, and that will enable you to experience executive wisdom.