If having a Clear State of Mind is such a competitive advantage, why have corporations overlooked its importance? We believe there may be a number of reasons. Among them:

SOM is as ever present in our lives as breathing. Most of us rarely notice our breathing unless someone calls it to our attention. When that happens, we can easily notice our breath – its frequency and the degree to which our diaphragm expands and contracts. The same is true of our SOM. It is with us every moment – constantly changing and acting like sunglasses to color our experience. All it takes is becoming aware of the importance of SOM and how it affects our performance.

The business world tends to focus on what can be counted. As the saying goes, “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” Yet most leaders realize there are other important phenomena that influence performance, such as intuition, momentum, or team “fit.” These are often under-valued because they can’t be quantified. SOM is similarly subjective. That doesn’t diminish its importance. In fact, this enhances the potential of SOM to serve as a competitive edge for those organizations that do appreciate its value and know how to harness it to their advantage.

When managers are dissatisfied with the performance of an employee or co-worker, it is rarely due to a deficiency in knowledge or technical ability – those are usually well assessed in the selection process. Most performance problems stem from how people apply their talents and knowledge. We often hear the phrase, “He’s so bright technically, if only he could get along with people.” All of us have worked with employees who were hypercritical, easily discouraged, self-absorbed, impatient, or distracted by problems outside of work. These are just some of the signs of an unclear SOM. That means SOM is our business because it affects business performance. And, that makes it our business to learn what we can do about it – how to reliably tap into our own clear SOM and how to help others draw upon theirs.

You may have thought SOM is a phenomenon that just happens and can’t be managed or influenced by choice. However this is no longer the case. Thanks to pioneers who helped us understand how SOM operates, we have been able to develop tools and methods for helping others learn how to productively utilize their Clear State of Mind. Now it is possible for all of us to actively choose the SOM that serves us best – the SOM from which we can thrive and produce optimum performance.

Make a Clear State of Mind your company’s key to competitive advantage.