It is almost difficult to imagine that a sailboat could leave shore when the wind is coming from the opposite direction. In fact, sailing upwind is all about understanding the physical forces hitting the sail of the boat and maneuvering the sail’s rotation to get the resulting pushing force needed.

A sailboat never sails directly upwind: it would be entering the no-sail zone, where the boat will stand idle and not move at all. Sailing upwind would require the boat to follow a curved path varying between 40-45 degrees while rotating the sail.

Steering a boat towards a specific destination is similar to making a change happen in someone else’s life. 

How can you influence and trigger change in someone else’s life?

You should know that we may all speak the same language, but we almost never fully understand each other. What might seem rational, simple and basic to you might be the total opposite to the person sitting next to you.

Changing someone you care for is not your responsibility, influencing him is.

elias soueidi

1. Find the North

This step is about defining the ultimate goal, a clear vision of where the person is heading.
It is about finding the other person’s north and not yours. Make sure you see the vision from his perspective.

Although the goal might look the same, but the vision of a bride losing weight for her wedding is not the same as the athlete who wants to optimize her performance.

Be the Leader you wish you had

simon sinek

2. Create an Influence

Creating an Influence might be the hardest thing to do in this case. You need to be smart and specific. The influence you are about to create should not look like an intervention. It is an indirect factor that will regroup parameters around the person involved, offering him support, motivation and inspiration.
Consider yourself a leader and your goal is to make that other person follow you without using authority or dictating what should be done.

A watched pot never boils

elizabeth gaskell

3. Watch the Sail

Do not obsess about results, and do not wait for immediate reactions. Watch the sail from a far; watch the beautiful journey on which that person is about to embark.

The pack travels is a program we offer in which we cover great distances while carrying our backpacks throughout the whole trip. Before every trip, a meeting is held discussing the trail’s distance, landscape and difficulty; the necessary gear and food menu and finally the predicted itinerary for the trip. In fact, thru hiking demands a professional approach with a healthy dose of common sense, curiosity, foresight and training.

It is true that the point of heading out on an adventure is to learn your limits, but careless planning is sure to make you learn those limits much sooner.

Having an outdoor mindset is willing to walk into an adventure while keeping your eyes open for possibilities, bifurcations and new experiences. It is about having an infinite mindset that will lead you through an adventure in spite of the challenges that you may face and regardless of your initial planning.

The infinite mindset is the right one to adopt in times of uncertainty, when you feel that the world around you is not what you imagined and not even what had planned for. In life, there will be no ‘according to the plan’. You will need to adapt by adopting an infinite mindset allowing you to overcome your challenges and enjoy the journey.

Go with a goal in mind, but stay open-minded to getting lost, it is the only way to a real adventure

elias soueidi

So, how do you adopt that infinite mindset and what are the steps to follow?

Step 1: Plan

Set your crystal clear goal, and develop a plan. As previously said, going without a plan will make you face your limits sooner than you think. Focus on your vision, and keep it clear in your mind.

Step 2: Be Open and Flexible

The road won’t be smooth, things will go dark. Challenges will rise and will ripple your plans and strategies. Your predictions will change; you need to accept that with an open mind. Be flexible to what is happening, accept the change and most importantly respect your surroundings.

Step 3: Adapt

This is the chance for you to reinvent your plan and yourself. Working with the situation requires you to decide to change some things. Embrace that change; be creative in these uncertain times. No one was ever declared the winner of life; we just have to stay in the game.

See you at the top!

For a lion, learning to hunt is one of the most important skills that it will ever acquire. In the early days hunting is a combination of instinct, observation, and practice for young lions.
Watching their mothers hunt, cubs learn by watching their mothers capture the prey, before going trying tactics and skills on their own.

Teaching is one thing but learning is another. So how do you make sure that the people you are working with know what to do or how to do it? What is the best leadership transition model? and how do you implement it?

John Maxwell defines the levels of leadership according to your level of authority, leverage and influence. We will dissect each level and try to understand on which level you are with your subordinates.

Ask yourself what level am I on with that person, you may be on different levels with different people. Knowing your levels with those people will allow you to become a better leader to them.

Level 1: Position

Position is the starting point. Anyone can be appointed to a position, which will give you authority over a group of people. This doesn’t make you a leader just yet, it makes you a boss, a person in charge. You have subordinates, not team members. You rely on rules and regulations to manage and lead without any influence or leverage. Your followers will follow you because you have authority over them and not because of your leadership skills.  

Level 2: Permission

‘People go along with leaders they get along with’

You have reached this level, if you succeeded at building relationships, bonds and connections with the people in your charge. You now have influence on them; they follow you and not your orders. Your subordinates will start working with you because you showed care, value and trust. This is the first real phase of your leadership path.

Level 3: Production

Reaching level 3 will require you to move from influencing others around you to help them become efficient and productive. Production separates true leaders from people who occupy leadership positions; you need lead your team into making things happen. Hitting monthly targets, building a community, lifting the spirit of the work environment, problem solving; are all aspects of you making a significant impact. Moving to level 3 requires a clear set vision, dedication, discipline and consistency.

Level 4: People Development

Shifting from Production to People development is a revolutionary shift in the organization’s structure. This shift will transform you from being a leader who gets involved in production tasks into a leader focusing on his people, their well-being and most importantly their own leadership skills. Leaders who reach the fourth level have gone beyond numbers and results and are now growing others as leaders.

Level 5: The Pinnacle

Growing others as leaders is every leader’s ambition, but seeing those grow leaders of their own is the culmination of leadership and the highest level. The pinnacle consists of developing leaders who will reach level 4 (people development) on their own. The individuals who reach level 5 lead so well for so long that they create a legacy of leadership in the organization they serve.
Leadership at this high level creates an unshakeable circle of safety, regrouping everyone in the organization and creating a unique environment where everyone feels fulfilled and happy. Level 5 leaders possess an influence that can reach everyone in the organization, this is why it is very important to lift up as many leaders as they can, tackle as many challenges as possible and extend their impact to make a difference beyond their own organization.