6
Deploying Yourself:
Strike Hard, Try
Everything
There is a self, and what I have sometimes referred to as
“listening to the impulse voices” means letting the self emerge.
Most of us, most of the time (and especially does this apply to
children, young people), listen not to ourselves but to Mommy’s
introjected voice or Daddy’s voice or to the voice of the
Establishment, of the Elders, of authority, or of tradition.
—Abraham Maslow
Farther Reaches of Human Nature“Letting the self emerge” is the essential task for leaders. It is
how one takes the step from being to doing in the spirit of ex-
pressing, rather than proving. The means of expression dis-
cussed in this chapter unfold from one another as the opening
petals of a flower.
Suppose you were required, as a child, to recite a poem in
front of your class. You forgot the second verse, were scolded
by your teacher, and laughed at by your classmates, and ever
since you’ve broken into a cold sweat at the thought of speak-
ing in public.