As an entrepreneur, you have one essential job -- to manifest the impossible. To bring to life that which others have saidis not possible.This is what Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Henry Fordand many other greats have done.
To get others to do the impossible, however, sometimes requires leaders to bend the truth a little. Take Jobs, for example -- he was so skilled at this theyeven coined a term for it.When discussing Jobs'ability to bend the truth and inspire others to do the impossible, Apple's vice president of technology,Bud Tribble, called it a "reality distortion field" (RDF for short). This particular skill was so powerful that in Walter Isaacson's official biography, Steve Jobs, the term RDF comes up an astounding 34 times. The fact is, all great leaders such as Jobs usethis skill repeatedly, and it's this ability to create inspiration in their community that made them great -- and for you, it'll be your greatest asset in building wealth.
In the presence of any great leader, we feel compelled to move beyond our current beliefs, to step into a dream that is bigger than us, and because of a strong leader -- we'll push past our "reality" and move into the stuff of dreams.
Harnessing this gift requires a unique skill. It will ask you to deny the status quo, to become a kind of alchemist who turns visions into powerfully impactful realities.Merriam-Webster defines alchemyasa "power or process to transform something in a mysterious or impressive way." Being an entrepreneur requires us to transmute the ethereal into the physical -- that to me makes us modern-day alchemists.
58003 This is a great example of Jobs' reality distortion field.You'll see he's incredibly charismatic, but more importantly, pay attention to the tactics he uses to recruit others to own his dream as their own.
Jobs shares his vision after a small celebration.
When I watch great leaders share their vision, I always feel like describing their dreams is a celebration. Right from the start, they are interested in the celebration of an idea becoming a reality.It's as if their faith comes before the physical expression of their vision. When they share that vision, they infuse their dream with an energy of excitement and use communities as a way to get that momentum going.
Jobs juxtaposes current challenges with other leaders whodefied reality.
When Jobs tells the audience that personal computers are in the dumps and the market isn't doing too well, he follows up by saying, "I am sure that Ford had a few hiccups, too."
With those few words, he completely obliterates the reasoning for anyone listening to resist his reality-defying vision for Apple. In just 10 words, he has metamorphosed from Jobsthe dreamer who isn't doing so well, to an icon of close to equal stature of the American hero Henry Ford, a man who defied reality and transformed American transportation.
Jobs acts as if he knows best.
In the biographyBecoming Steve Jobs, the author recounts the reaction from some of the team members who witnessed Job in his role at NeXT:"It sounded good. Butmuch of it was chutzpah and self-delusion. When he started Apple, he had not presumed that he knew how to run a business -- he was willing to rely, at least for a while, on his mentors and bosses. Nowhe acted as if he knew everything."
It may sound scary to take the lead with that kind of certainty, but if we're going to convince others ofthe reality-defying visions we have,we must at the very least communicate our vision with confidence.
As a leader, people are looking to you.They are mirroring your emotions.And if you can learn to communicate your visions with intense feelings of hopefulness and certainty, people will follow suit and do the impossible because your faith inspires them.
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If you've ever wanted to harness the magic that Jobs and other aspirational leaders had in spades, you must start by leading those around you to see your vision and do so confidently.