There many ways to live life. Some people see challenges as a chance to put their principles into practice. They then do their best to get positive results.
Some people do it when working as sports coaches, medics, bomb disposal experts or doing other activities. Some do it when working as crisis managers, mediators, leaders or in other professional roles.
Different people follow this approach in different ways. Bearing this in mind, however, such people sometimes focus on the following themes.
They see the challenge as a chance to put their
principles into practice and get positive results
People who follow this approach have a positive mindset and often reframe challenges as projects. They also see these as the chance to put their principles into practice and get positive results.
Such individuals often have a strong passion for a certain topic. They may feel strongly about helping people, climbing mountains, finding a medical cure, making things work properly or tackling other challenges.
They throw themselves into learning about the topic. They gather information to see the big picture, see patterns and focus on how to get positive results.
They translate their passion into finding solutions to problems. They then continually deliver high professional standards and sometimes peak performances.
Such individuals often develop a set of principles. They aim to follow these to make things as predictable as possible. They may also feel fully alive, however, when tackling certain stimulating challenges.
Different people apply their principles in different situations. One common thread, however, is that these principles are often the result of focusing on what works. One person expressed this in the following way.
“Many years ago I began focusing on the principles that worked in my chosen field. I then put these into practice to keep testing, polishing and improving how to translate these into action.
“It was also vital to do lots of preparation before doing a piece of work and rehearse properly. Providing I followed the principles, plus sometimes applying these in pragmatic way, it was possible to get possible results.”
People who follow this approach look forward to tackling certain challenges. Before taking this step, they explore the following theme.
They clarify how to put their principles
into practice and get positive results
People who follow this approach prepare properly before tackling a challenge. They do this when working as a paramedic, mountain rescuer, mediator, mentor, technical problem-solver or in another role.
Such an individual focuses on the specific situation. They do their research, gather lots of information and plan the way forward. They may start by exploring the following questions.
What is the specific challenge? What is actually happening in the situation? What are people doing or what other events are happening? What are the consequences of these things happening?
What are the things it is possible to control in the situation? Bearing these in mind, what are the desired positive results? What will be the benefits of achieving these results?
What are the principles I can follow to achieve success? How can put these into practice? How can I deal with any potential difficulties along the way? What else can I do to increase the chances of success?
Some people may have lots of time to take these steps. Some may need to act immediately. Some people may be vastly experienced and be able to work through these steps quickly.
Such individuals also, whenever possible, rehearse what they are going to do. Charles Garfield, the author of Peak Performers, described how many great workers rehearse before going into their version of the arena.
The National Business Association produced a summary of his views on mental rehearsal in one of their newsletters. Here is an excerpt from that piece.
Peak performers practice mental rehearsal. They rehearse, in their mind’s eye, any incident or event that is important to them. They rehearse specific events in the mind’s eye, including all those possible outcomes and possible surprises that can materialise.
Different people rehearse in different ways. Some people who aim to follow their principles in challenging situations take the following approach.
Imagine that a person has taken these steps. They may then focus on the next stage.
They put their principles into practice
and do their best to get positive results
People who follow this approach then move into action. They aim to be fully present and focus on the task in hand whilst also working towards the desired positive results. They sometimes take the following steps.
They follow their chosen principles, translate these into practice and deliver high standards.
They keep reading reality, build on what is working and focus on continuous improvement.
They continue to be agile, find solutions to issues and do their best to achieve the desired positive results.
Such people may sometimes apply their principles in a pragmatic way, however, to get positive results. There are many definitions for being pragmatic. One definition is:
To do things in a practical and realistic way that works.
A person who follows their principles may buy time to think when facing certain circumstances. They may then explore the following themes when deciding how to tackle an issue.
What is actually happening in the situation? What do I want to happen? Bearing in mind what I can control, what are the possible options going forwards? What are the pluses and minuses of each option?
What is the route I want to follow? How can I, as far as possible, follow my principles when pursuing this option? How can I apply these in a practical way? How can I do my best to get the desired positive results?
Some people continue to see challenges as a chance to put their principles into practice. They see these as an opportunity to keep developing, do superb work and get positive results.
Let’s return to your own life and work. Looking ahead, can you think of a situation where you may want to follow elements of this approach? How can you do this in your own way?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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