In yesterday’s post, I wrote about WHAT a Compelling Point of View is and WHY it is a performance optimizer and differentiator.
To recap, a Compelling Point of View is a personal philosophy and vision for how things should be done (in your line of work) to have a lasting IMPACT beyond the short term, i.e., your specifically selected approach to make things better, as opposed to just accomplishing the minimum required to complete a task. It is your Compelling Point of View that makes you stand out, and helps you to persist even when the odds are stacked against you.
In today’s post, I will write about HOW a compelling point of view is formed.
When I originally came up with the idea for my Behind the Podium: Unveiling the Coach podcast five years ago, I also came up with a framework for thinking about the cycle of ingredients that contribute to high level, quality coaching. What I came up with is the 3 EX model, and I realize that this model acts as a fantastic formula for EQUIPPING someone to cultivate and practice their Compelling Point of View.
3 EX’s: EXperience, EXperimentation, and EXample
EXperience:
In a specific discipline, what does the entirety of your experience consist of? Experience is a combination of
- years of formal study (theoretical expertise)
- years of application (work performance hours)
- diversity of formal study (theoretical expertise that includes a variety of methodologies)
- diversity of application (work performance hours within a variety of contexts)
EXperimentation:
The EXperience aspect of your craft is a recognition of your past work. Whereas, the EXperimentation aspect of your craft is an acknowledgement of the current ways in which you continue to experiment with new and different ways to coach as well as personally experimenting with new and different techniques you might consider having your clients do. EXperimentation can also be thought of as active exploration and discovery. Remember, if you are leading with an infinite mindset, then you MUST be actively engaged in exploring new corners of your craft.
EXample:
EXample is in reference to the manner in which you lead by example. Is your experience and experimentation serving your commitment to aspirationally live according to the optimal principles and habits that you would suggest your clients do?
The 3 EX’s act as mental map for helping you to hold yourself accountable to being an infinitely minded coach/health care practitioner, i.e., someone that desires to continually play and do the work with no regard for a finish line.
In order to create a formula for helping you to reflect on, clarify, and formalize a Compelling Point of View, I am going to slightly tweak the 3 EX model as described above.
EXperience + EXpertise + EXcellence= A Compelling Point of View
I have slightly changed the second (EXpertise vs. EXperimentation) and third (EXcellence vs. EXample) EX’s. The reason being is that your Compelling Point of View should be based on the level of insight, intuition, and multi-faceted application you possess, which is an illustration of your EXpertise. And, what makes it COMPELLING, as opposed to just simply a point of view, is that this perspective of yours is based on what you BELIEVE and ASSERT as a standard of excellence you aspire to. This standard of excellence is based on the core values you deem as being essential and, more often than not, non negotiable in your line of work.
Call To Action: Reflect on what you consider to be the sum of your experiences, expertise, and (standard of) excellence that provide you with the foundation of a Compelling Point of View with which to approach your work.
“Assertions are the generous act of seeking to make things better”
Seth Godin, The Practice
Your work should mean something to you and whom it’s for (beneficiary). When it does, it is impactful and makes things better. The way to do this consistently is to assert your Compelling Point of View.
It is my assertion that high performing cultures, communities, and teams are stronger and more connected because of how they bond over Compelling Points of View.
