The Phases Of Engaging The Field & "Full Potential"
Tomorrow, Thursday the 13th at 10am pacific we are live for a special Arena sessions with our Cornerman, the Champion Maker, Dr. Jeff Spencer. All TGA+ subscribers are invited to join us live. The link to join is at the bottom of this post.
Dr. Jeff Spencer has had a major influence on the Arena structure. The Arena structure was built around his observation(s) helping extraordinary people reach the pinnacle(s) of their field(s).
Below is an excerpt from the forthcoming “Engaging The Field” Handbook.
The Phases of Engaging The Field
Reaching Your “Full Potential”
There are three phases of Engaging The Field. While all the rules of engaging the field apply the same, the phases look different. To lay the foundation for this, we’re turning to two legendary mentors, Dr. Jeff Spencer and Randy Massengale. They use different frameworks to explain the same general principle.
Dr. Jeff Spencer’s Three Potentials
The Three Potentials come from Dr. Jeff Spencer, Champion Maker and The Guardian Academy's Cornerman. According to Jeff there are three potentials.
1. Known Potential: This is what can be observed, tested and measured. Height, weight, speed, IQ, etc. Reaching your known potential can be done with hard work and a little bit of focus
2. Unknown Potential: Unknown potential is an emergent property. You won’t be able to tap into it with more work or longer hours. It is something that is already inside of you, dormant. Unknown potential is awakened through exposure, proximity and receptivity:
Exposure to people, places and things that tease it out of you
Proximity to those people, places and things.
Receptivity, because it’s not going to be something taught directly to you. Sometimes it’s overhearing a conversation between two people that awakens your unknown potential - and they don’t even know you heard it. Sometimes it’s just seeing how a group of people interacts.
When you do the work to reach your known potential and get the exposure and proximity to awaken your unknown potential the result is:
3. Full Potential: Exponential growth, impact and progress. Full potential is also an emergent property, it emerges when your known potential and unknown potential are reached simultaneously.
Randy Massengale’s “Purpose” Framework
Years ago, Randy Massengale first introduced his process of finding purpose. Randy has been studying extraordinary leaders for decades and what he found was that their purpose emerged from what he calls “intensity” which emerged from frequency. Purpose emerges from intensity. Intensity emerges from frequency.
Frequency → Intensity →Purpose
which, inverted, looks like this:
Purpose ←Intensity ←Frequency
Intensity, in this framework or context, is the unique stamp that you put on your work. It’s breaking the rules in only the ways you can break the rules because of your unique disposition and skillset. Have you ever seen a movie and immediately known who the director was without seeing the credits? Or read a passage from a book and could immediately discern the author because of the language, style, grammar, etc? _That’s intensity._
Again, Intensity is the distinction created by breaking the rules in ways that only you can break them because you are you. In order to break the rules, you first have to master them.
The Three Step Process.
1. Frequency. Do the work. Engage the Field. It’s the whole “wax on, wax off” thing. Write thousands of pages by hand, build hundreds of funnels or spreadsheets. Whatever the work in front of you is - do it at a frequency that alarms other people.
2. Intensity. As you do the work, you’ll find shortcuts, loopholes and styles that work for you and only you. Lean into that intensity
3. Purpose. If you’re able to maintain the frequency - but with your unique style - purpose emerges. It’s not a flash of inspiration - which is fleeting - it’s an earned purpose.
And what happens if we marry the two frameworks together?
Known potential is found through frequency, doing the work consistently.
Unknown potential is awakened through intensity, exposure, and proximity.
Your Full Potential (Purpose) emerges when you find your Known Potential (Frequency) and awaken your Unknown Potential (Intensity). You can also use the process above to keep and maintain momentum.
Have you done the reps and feel like working harder is not delivering on the promise? Move up the ladder and engage the field on the intensity level. Done the work and put your unique stamp on it, already? It’s time to focus on engaging the field by getting in the right rooms with the right people.
Not sure that you’re playing at your full potential or clear on your purpose? That’s okay, just go back to engaging the field on the intensity level. In other words, just get back to being you. Not sure who you are any more? That’s okay (happens all the time) just go back to engaging the field at the frequency phase and your intensity will emerge.
You won’t find it by looking harder or in more places. It must emerge from Engaging The Field.
Ready to Engage The Field?
Thursday, Jun 13th 10am pacific
See you there. (Comment access and the link to join us live tomorrow are below.)