Practitioners of personal mastery exhibit the following characteristics:

  • They have a sense of purpose that lies behind their goals
  • Their vision is more like a calling than a good idea
  • They see current reality as an ally, not an enemy
  • They are committed to seeing reality increasingly accurately
  • They are extremely inquisitive
  • They do not resist, but work with, the forces of change
  • They feel connected to others and to life itself
  • They feel that they are part of a larger creative process that they can influence but cannot unilaterally control
 Personal mastery is not a destination.  It is a life-long journey.  Personal mastery is exhibited by continually clarifying what we truly want and learning how to see objective reality more clearly so we can move toward what we truly want.  “People with a high level of personal mastery are acutely aware of their ignorance, their incompetence, their growth areas.  And they are deeply self-confident” (Senge, 1990).

 This is not a contradiction.  Personal mastery is a mark of true maturity.  Covey (1989) states that after World War II western society as a whole experienced a major shift away from unchangeable principles and the “character ethic” to a personal quick fix mentality he calls the “personality ethic”.

  The personality ethic places greater importance on “appearing to be” rather than on “being.”  For instance, rather than focusing on overcoming ignorance, a student may attempt to cover it up.  Such a student seeks a grade, but cares little about the actual learning.  The student’s goal is to manipulate the social system and ignore what is really happening in the mind.  The personality ethic is superficial, manipulative, and self-serving.  What matters most is outward appearance rather than inward substance and strength of character.

 Personal mastery involves seeing objective reality and aligning our subjective values with principles.  Principles are guidelines for human conduct that are self-evident and have proven to have enduring value.  Examples of principles include integrity, honesty, humility, justice, and industry. Aligning personal values with these enduring principles result in inward strength of character and genuine caring and serving (Covey, 1989).
 


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    Introduction: Emotional Intelligence

    EI First Competency:
    Emotional Self Awareness


    EI Second Competency: Emotional Expression


    EI Third Competency:
    Understanding Others' Emotions

    EI Fourth Competency: Emotional Reasoning and Decision Making


    EI Fifth Competency:
    Emotional Self Management


    EI Sixth Competency:Emotional Management of Others


    EI Seventh Competency: Emotional Control

Coaching is a very unique profession that utilizes the best of therapy, consulting, mentoring, and even friendship, to create a unique client-coach relationship. This relationship is a powerful alliance, a partnership of sorts, to help clients manage their lives, create more fulfillment, and live their dreams.