"What a man can be, he must be." This quotation forms the very basis of rising to your potential. People who are able to do so are likely to possess the following characteristics & quality:
Efficient perceptions of reality – They are able to judge situations correctly and honestly.
Comfortable acceptance of self, others nature – Such people are accepting of their own nature with all its flaws. The shortcomings of others and contradictions of the human behaviour are accepted with humor and tolerance.
Spontaneity – They tend to be unusually alive, engaged, and spontaneous.
Task centering – They have a mission to fulfill in life or pursue a task/problem outside of themselves. Humanitarians such as Albert Schweitzer and Mother Teresa are considered to have possessed this quality.
Autonomy – Such people are free from reliance on external authorities or other people. They tend to be resourceful and independent.
Continued freshness of appreciation – They make sure to renew appreciation of life's basic goods.
Fellowship with humanity - They feel a deep sense of identification with others and the human situation in general.
Profound interpersonal relationships - The interpersonal relationships of such people are marked by deep loving bonds.
The realization of your potential starts with self analysis and involves the following:
Personal Qualities:
Self belief is the faith in your capabilities and is guided by the "yes I can" attitude. It dispels the impossible and helps you to perceive it as "I-m-possible."
Self awareness is a realistic understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. Strengths are the personality traits which help in accomplishing the desired goal, while weaknesses are the obstacles.
Self management is the organization of your strengths and weaknesses to connect with the environment in a favorable way. Your strengths should help you in exploring the available opportunities and weaknesses should not be the limiting factors due to environmental threats.
Drive for improvement is the passion to constantly improve the system and self.
Personal integrity is following an ethical code of conduct while achieving the set targets. The challenge here is to uphold the principles of fairness, accountability, transparency and honesty.
Setting Direction:
Seizing the future - involves being prepared to take action now to shape and implement a vision for the desired future.
Intellectual flexibility- is being receptive to fresh insights and perspectives from diverse sources, both internal and external to the organization. It requires an understanding that change is radical for improvement and demands innovative thinking, creativity and experimentation.
Broad Scanning- involves taking the time to gather information from a wide range of sources to understand the opportunities & threats and take an informed decision. It requires leaders to self-evaluate their current way of doing things, and urges them to try new ways of thinking.
Political cleverness - is the capacity to manage the political dimension, to see and communicate the big picture, make connections, be credible with different groups and in strategic relationships.
Drive for results- is the combination of drive, stamina and stress handling abilities that enable a person to achieve his goals and meet his standards for excellence. This translates into an ability to plan activities and be persistent despite competing priorities and obstacles; review tasks & prioritize to meet objectives and deadlines; take initiative and stay motivated even under pressure.
Leading change through people- communicating the vision and rationale for change and improvement to achieve it. This aims at empowering people through a sense of participation and belongingness and encouraging collaborative working.
Holding to account is the strength of resolve to hold participants to account for agreed targets and to be held accountable for delivering a high level of performance.
Setting clear targets and standards for performance and behavior. Ensure the processes are in place to support individuals in achieving these standards.
Creating a climate of support and accountability, rather than a climate of blame.