Leadership Training: Paul Theroux & The Risk of Mirroring Leadership Reality

“In the end he was no more than that, a mirror, showing me my own face and feelings, making me intensely self-conscious. He was doing what writers do, reminding me of who I was….” - Paul Theroux, A Dead Hand 

One of the guiding principles of our leadership training/coaching/mentoring approach is to enable individuals and teams to be who they are, rather than who they are expected to be. This involves a process of holding a mirror that reflects reality. Over a period of 22 years of professionally training many diverse people, a key observation has been that accepting their own individual excellence is oftentimes more difficult for business folk, than having areas requiring attention revealed to them. Negative feedback is easier to accept than positive!

So too, on a personal level, it took me many years to realize that positive reinforcement is more often than not viewed with suspicion and mistrust. At best many feel that extolling virtues is insincere or undue flattery, masking a hidden agenda! 

In the professional development arena, especially in Leadership Training, revealing who people are is a risky business. I believe that I cannot afford clients the service they deserve without taking that risk! For me, being true to oneself, together with a confident awareness of excellence/competence, rather than arrogance, is the very foundation upon which true leadership is built. Our litmus test for a good client fit is based on this premise.

For all Business Leadership training inquiries: (416)  962-6700

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Frist published: 02 Feb. 2011