A seasoned salesperson and a rookie walk into a new town…
A company once sent two shoe salespeople to an area in Africa where they had never sold any shoes. One was one of their senior, most experienced salesmen, Tom, and they expected big things of him.
The other was an optimistic rookie named Cynthia. She didn’t have much experience, but she had a lot of enthusiasm. They figured she might be able to sell a few pairs of shoes.
Shortly after they arrived in Africa, Tom, the experienced salesperson, wrote the home office saying, “You might as well bring me back. Nobody here wears shoes.”
The rookie, Cynthia, wired the home office an urgent message: “Send me all the shoes you’ve got. Nobody here is wearing shoes!”
You may have heard this fable before – but it illustrates a critical difference between anabolic and catabolic leaders. Two people, faced with the same situation, yet having totally different reactions.
What’s the difference between them?
In a word, it’s energy - Tom is catabolic, and Cynthia is anabolic. Catabolic people see problems and challenges everywhere and in everything. Anabolic people see opportunity and possibility. And not only do they see an opportunity, but they take action to capitalize on it.
Most of the time, people focus on what’s wrong – in their lives, their businesses, the world. They complain, moan, and don’t take a lot of action – and why would they, because they just know that there are more problems and challenges ahead. This is catabolic, destructive energy – and it surrounds us every day.
This week, we’re going to explore a fascinating distinction between anabolic and catabolic leaders –the way that each type of leader thinks. This is perhaps one of the most complicated, but essential, aspects of understanding the difference between the two types of leaders.
Catabolic Thinking
Part of the reason that catabolic people see problems and challenges everywhere is that they use left-brain analysis almost exclusively. This type of thinking is linear and “rational.” It’s the logical approach and considers only facts and actual observations. This doesn’t mean that their emotions aren’t effecting their behavior; it means that they don’t acknowledge the feelings and use them to look at the whole picture.
Anabolic Thinking
People with anabolic energy (especially at Level 5 and above) find opportunities in everything. They don’t see the bad and make it a good; they truly only see opportunity in all that happens. They look at a situation and ask, “what's working here?" "What's right?" "What's next?" They don't see problems or challenges, just exciting adventures and chances to make things work better.
Anabolic leaders use whole-brain thinking, which encompasses emotions and intuition, as well as logic. This type of thinking is called holographic thinking, because like multi-dimensional holograms, holographic thinking involves being able to see many perspectives at once.
By using their emotional and intuitive minds in addition to left-brain logical analysis, anabolic leaders are able to view a situation as a whole and thus get a complete picture of what is really going on. The ability to see this "meta-view" is key to ensuring the greatest chances for success (in every aspect of life), and especially for making, both on a daily and a long term basis, the very best decisions they can.
So while a catabolic person might get upset and angry if one of his customers took his business to a competitor, an anabolic person would look at that situation as a chance not only to get the customer back, but to also change and improve the circumstances that led to the customer leaving in the first place.
A Real-Life Scenario
So how would this actually play out "in real life"? Let's take a look at one scenario.
Say a manager was faced with a decision about whether or not to pull the plug on a project, launched several months before, which was not bringing in the income it was expected to.
The catabolic manager would look only at the facts and figures, and, most likely, would decide to discontinue the project because the money wasn't coming in.
Anabolic managers would take much more into account in making a decision. Not only would money and logistics be examined, but also, they would look at their intuitive response (what flashes of insight they had) and also consider their emotional response, and others' emotional responses as well. The conclusion they come to might be the same – to pull the plug, or, based on a hunch or an emotion or both, they might decide to keep the project going.
The key is, using a holographic approach, anabolic leaders address opportunities—and challenges—from many perspectives at once. To practice thinking holographically, consider your potential action in light of what makes sense, what your emotional response to it is, and what your intuitive senses tell you. This may not be natural at first, but eventually, it will become second nature and increase your effectiveness immensely.
As you go through this week, look at your responses to what's happening around you. Remember that your perceptions create your energy level, and that creates your reality – the world you know. And most importantly, remember that you can learn to choose your response and begin to shift from catabolic to anabolic energy (if you're not already there!) Ask those solution-focused questions of "what’s right?” and “what’s next?” After all, it’s your world, and you can create it as you wish!
Don’t miss out!
This month to help you increase your anabolic leadership skills, I am offering the Energy Leadership Index assessment and debrief for $249 through the end of July! The assessment is designed to give you the tools you need to take your life and leadership skills from “fine” to “fantastic.”
The ELI allows people to literally re-write the rules that they live their lives by. For more information, or to sign up click here: Energy Leadership Information
If you missed part one, click here: Part 1 - Managing vs. Leading
If you missed part two, click here: Part 2 - Information Sharing and Self-Assessing
If you missed part three, click here: Part 3 - Fire Fighter or Architect?
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