The Winning Factor

CHAPTER 3Manage Yourself

One of my favorite quotes is from that famous philosopher Winnie the Pooh, who once said, “This is far too important to be taken seriously.” Perspective is critical when developing others, and we need to be aware of our own inner world, our thoughts, our beliefs, and our impulse to react to external forces and events. Sometimes we want something so badly for the other person that we become evangelical about it and turn the person off. At other times our frustration may interfere with what we say and how we say it. To engage another person in becoming more self-aware and responsible, in other words to engage that person’s Third Factor, we have to create an environment where this can and will occur. The manager’s or coach’s ...