Leadership & The Act of Will: Part 3
This is the third in a series of five blog articles on the act of will (to return to the first in the series click here).
The act of will is the art of figuring out what to do and getting it done. All leaders, ultimately, have to get things done and this is why it’s so helpful for them to understand that the act of will is a process with six stages.
The act of will is not just a matter of deciding or choosing, as some people think. There is more to it than that. Roberto Assagioli outlined the six stages of the act of will in his book, The Act of Will nearly fifty years ago. His six stages were:
1. Purpose (or aim or goal)/evaluation/motivation/intent
2. Deliberation
3. Choice and decision
4. Strengthening faith/conviction/certainty
5. Planning
6. Directing the execution
In this article, we’ll look at the second stage: Deliberation.
Now you may find yourself with alternative aims, all of which you find motivating. So before making a choice, you must decide which you prefer. This is deliberation.
It will probably centre on which aim is most important to you right now (that is, fits your values best).
It may also consider which goals are most realistic for you, whether this is the best moment to act, the rewards for achieving the aim and the penalties for missing it – for you and others.
This is when your beliefs about yourself, the world and other people will act as a filter as you deliberate. Thus, your limiting beliefs can and usually do affect your deliberations, ruling certain directions in or out. For example, if you believe yourself to be a victim of life, doomed to endure disappointment after disappointment, you’re less likely to consider bold, risky goals.
Of course, it’s also important to consider the problem that led you to seek a purpose in the first case and ask, which of the aims best deals with the issue? Finally, the deliberation stage is where you may ask others for their perspective and advice.
Sometimes the deliberation phase will demand you be ruthlessly honest with yourself to see your true motives; motives that may be more selfish than you’d care to admit – motives you wouldn’t act on once exposed. The trouble is, your limiting beliefs may have led you to create psychological defences that make it harder to see your true motives. Thus, it can sometimes be hard to stop yourself going after an unwise or harmful goal.
Deliberation can therefore be a complex stage in the act of will, demanding great insight.
In part 4 we will look at the third and fourth stages: Choice & Decision and Strengthening Faith/Conviction/Certainty.
The author is James Scouller, an executive coach. His book, The Three Levels of Leadership: How to Develop Your Leadership Presence, Knowhow and Skill, was published in May 2011. You can learn more about it at www.three-levels-of-leadership.com. If you want to see its reviews, click here: leadership book reviews. If you want to know where to buy it, click HERE. You can read more about his executive coaching services at The Scouller Partnership’s website.
