The Big Leap – visual book summary

(5 min read)

On embracing your unique zone of genius

–> identify and then ditch tasks and roles from our zone of incompetence
–> identify and then delegate tasks and roles from our zone of competence
–> identify and then evaluate tasks and roles in our zone of excellence
–> identify and embrace that set of activities we’re uniquely suited for in our zone of genius

Big questions about success vs. fulfillment

In our success-frenzied modern world, what does it really mean to move into our personal zone of genius? And how does this model challenge our current fixation on certain types of success that we strive for at the expense of other types of fulfillment? These are the kinds of big questions sparked by Gay Hendrick’s book The Big Leap: Conquer your hidden fear and take life to the next level. 3 (HarperCollins, 2009)

Defining our Zone of Genius

Incompetence, competence, excellence – those zones are pretty self-explanatory, but I think it’s worth taking note of what this Zone of Genius might look like and feel like.* Here are a handful of clues throughout the book, including marginalia from my copy of the book:

Breaking through Upper Limit Problems

It’s classic hero’s journey story arc. Before we can attain the coveted zone of genius (and now that we know how marvelous it is, who wouldn’t covet that quadrant) there are monsters to slay and obstacles to surmount. Here, in short order, is what we’re all up against at some point or another:

Hidden barriers
(Note: this list is numbered by me here for the sake of this book review)

1. Feeling fundamentally flawed (p.45)
2. Disloyalty and abandonment (ie: a feeling of “betraying” your family) (p.48)
3. Believing that more success brings a bigger burden (p.52)
4. The crime of outshining (family, parents, siblings) (p.55)

Typical ways we upper limit ourselves
5. Worry (p.64)
6. Criticism and blame (p.76)
7. Deflecting (ie: brushing off compliments) (p.80)
8. Squabbling (p.84)
9. Getting sick or hurt (p.89)
10. Integrity breach (p.97)

Other ways
11. Hiding significant feelings (p.111)
12. Not keeping agreements (p.111)
13. Not speaking significant truths to relevant people (p.111)

Actionable:
While it can be demoralizing to dwell on ways we self sabotage, it might be illuminating to note upper limit problems we haven’t been consciously aware of.

Genius questions to ask yourself*

1. What do I most love to do? (I love it so much I can do it for long stretches of time without getting tired or bored).
2. What work do I do that doesn’t seem like work?
3. In my work, what produces the highest ratio of abundance and satisfaction to amount of time spent? (Even if I do only ten seconds or a few minutes of it, an idea or a deeper connection may spring forth that leads to huge value.)
4. What is my unique ability? (There’s a special skill I’m gifted with. This unique ability, fully realized and put to work, can provide enormous benefits to me and any organization I serve.)

(*Found on pp 122-132)

Forming a positive conspiracy

Finally, buried in the back of the book is a powerful suggestion. This from page 194:

Cultivate at least three friends with whom you can form a No-Upper-Limit conspiracy. The word conspiracy comes from two Latin roots that together mean “to breathe together.” That’s the kind of conspiracy I want you to create.

I want you to feel the power of two or more people in harmony, working toward a benign goal that’s good for all. You and the other members of your conspiracy will educate each other on the Upper Limit Problem. You will spot each other running Upper Limit behaviors such as worrying, getting sick, having accidents, and so forth.

You and your conspiracy will gently remind each other that you create the quality of your life experience out of your beliefs. You’ll remind each other to examine those beliefs to make sure they’re giving you room for ultimate success in love and life. When you trip and fall, as we all tend to do from time to time, you and your co-conspirators will remind each other to take a deep breath, center yourselves, and open up again to feeling more love, abundance, and success than you’ve ever before enjoyed.

TL;DR

Actionable:
The infographic sums up some worthy intentions that might include:
–> identify and then ditch tasks and roles from our zone of incompetence
–> identify and then delegate tasks and roles from our zone of competence
–> identify and then evaluate tasks and roles in our zone of excellence
–> identify and embrace that set of activities we’re uniquely suited for in our zone of genius

Thoughts? Please feel free to share on your own feeds what you feel your zone of genius is and how you’re going to move there more often.