What is the difference between a company that is successful and one that struggles to make it and may not survive?
The core thinking of those in leadership positions.
Here are two examples of different outcomes based on opposite thinking and approaches to fulfilling a companies’ mission and vision.
- In the banking industry, there is a breakdown and ultimate demise of a new company division because key leaders in upper management did not believe the new structure and partnership that had occurred would be successful. Everyone involved lost their jobs and the investors lost their investments.
- A consulting company on the brink of bankruptcy rose out of the chaos that had ensued and went on to create better earnings than before, exceeding all past profit margins.
Both are true stories. What was the difference?
Those in the banking industry group did not believe they would be successful and their leader did not create an environment in which they could shift their beliefs. Whereas, those in the consulting company were fortunate because their CEO worked with a coach to assist him in understanding his core thinking, communication style and how his thinking was affecting his key leadership, employees and down the line. This is a clear example of how one’s thinking or a group’s thinking can adversely affect a whole organization.
When it comes to leadership your state of mind is a direct reflection of what is happening in your life and your job. If you are:
Confident in your leadership abilities
Happy with your job and position
Have clarity about the direction you are heading professionally and leading your organization
Feel you have well-developed boundaries with others
Know you are having a positive impact on those you lead
Inspiring not only yourself to reach a higher potential but inspire others to do the same
….then you will be able to see the reflection of the strength in your state of mind within the success of the outcomes you envision.
If, on the other hand, there is conflict in the office, low employee morale, movement towards set goals seems to be sluggish or there is high turnover; perhaps evaluating your current state of mind can help to transform an unhealthy environment into one that both you and others look forward to every day.
Businesses come and go daily, the question remains, how does one stay strong, and withstand the growing pains that come along with expansion and ultimate success?
It can be difficult to see all that you have worked towards as a leader come apart at the seams. The struggle to find the system, strategy, people and/or process to make a company profitable, sustainable and lasting can be overcome.
By studying what not to do and implementing core thinking principles, leaders can change the whole dynamic of an organization and see extraordinary improvements.
Examples of a leader who has a core thinking level where a positive shift can occur include:
Inspiring to others leading by example
Expects positive attitudes from others
Emphasizes teamwork
Motivates employees to believe in themselves
Holds employees accountable to their greatness
Capitalizes on opportunities as they are presented
See themselves and others as full of potential
Thinks about synergy and how to succeed
There is only the idea of fulfilling vision and/or mission, nothing less
Invest in employees through training and effective communication
You know you have an exceptional leader with a strong core thinking foundation because they:
Lead by presence rather than just action
Are powerful, yet humble
Listen proactively and gives constructive feedback
Know their boundaries by being firm when needed, and expects to be respected
Are always interested in personally and professionally growing
Have a keen sense of intuition used to make decisions and generate ideas
Are approachable and their role as leader is valued and appreciated
Leadership can be approached from different levels. The higher the energy level of a leader in both physical energy and core thinking energy, the greater the chances are for success. The state of your life is a reflection of your state of mind. What is your core thinking and how is it working for you?
Great article, Eileen! I’m sorry I missed it first time around. Leaders who have a belief that they can succeed and who are passionate about succeeding, will always do better than half-hearted leaders – who are only masquerading as leaders. True leaders exude confidence and inspire trust, and act as role models. In some of my presentations to industry, I often use the example of a military engagement, and ask – who would you prefer to follow? Someone who tells his troops “I’m not really sure we’re going to make it – there are all these obstacles to overcome.” Or someone who tells them that yes, there may be obstacles, but we have the capabilities, resources and will to succeed. There is a difference between leaders and managers, although some managers can rise to become leaders.
Thank you Christine! No worries, glad you found this article now. Half-hearted leaders don’t know what they are missing in their lack of leadership skills that encourage, enhance and become win-win for all involved. I agree with you 100% that true leaders have confidence, inspire trust and are excellent role models. Your military engagement example is awesome, puts it into perspective. I appreciate your sharing your thoughts. Eileen
Eileen,
You made some great points. I particularly liked the mention of humbleness. I would add that not only an open mind is needed but one that is willing to explore and recognize current contextual realities. Just like military leaders who might want to fight the last war, we have organization leaders who fail to see new realities. We need leaders who are willing to examine all perspectives before selection a course of action.
Mary, Thank you! You have given some good input….the failure to see new realities can keep leaders and/or organizations stuck. A willingness to explore, as you mentioned, allows for momentum that may otherwise be missed. Perhaps training new leaders may be a great way to indoctrinate the younger generation into this way of thinking and action. As well as, seasoned professionals for additional leadership development.
Eileen,
My research indicates there are six success mindsets that leaders need to check before they can effectively tackle a complex issue. If you are interested in how I use mindsets drop me an email at [email protected] or check out the chart at http://www.enterprisemgt.com. I have found leaders like a checklist of questions to guide their information process to ensure they have all points of view.
Thanks again for a great blog.
Mary
Mary, I would be very interested in how you use mindsets, thank you for the offer. I will also check out your chart on your website. Through my own research and coaching development I have created a Core Thinking Wheel that is about to be published on my new website, also about to be launched . It will be interesting to see how our two charts may correlate. You are fortunate to work with leaders who are open minded, those are the great ones who most likely motivate and inspire.
You are most welcome, I enjoy engaging with others!
Eileen
Great post. I also feel that Leaders need to hire and develop great people. We are the first responder to the people that walk in the door. Success or failure start at that moment.
Thank you Larry! Absolutely, hiring and developing great people and even those who may have strengths the leader does not exhibit, is a smart way to create a strong and healthy organization. I appreciate your sharing.
Great points.
When doing something big, I mean really big like changing the fundamental DNA of a company, there is always some trauma in the past that was caused from failure. Rather than people separating the issues of the past with the needs of the present, people start comparing the past to the present; bringing those past pains to the present.
To get people to move forward and “heal”, framing and reframing is used to change the negative perspectives of the past into positive ones. This includes people, events, and decisions.
Chris, thank you! I agree with you 100%….change can be difficult and holding onto the past is a last ditch effort to not face the unknown of the future. The growing pains of growth can be alleviated by disconnecting from what did not work and focusing on what can be different to allow for success. Yes! Framing and reframing is necessary within the thinking process for negative, energy draining thinking to shift into positive, forward driving engagement. The amazing thing is, once the pathway shifts, the focus is no longer on the past/old and instead there is a new surge of excitement and vitality that propels everyone and an organization to new heights!
I’m glad you think so. Many who take the “change management” certification have very “systemic” thinking. And for some reason framing and re-framing is not part of the system. I think I include people as part of the system because as a kid I made video games. And in these games I wanted them to provide over whelming odds to the player, destroying the player when given the chance. So today, I see the world as algorithms from the psychological sense with interactions between people, machines, and data work.
Chris, wow….that is an interesting perspective. I can relate to your analogies of people, machines and data work…all of which are really just processes and patterns. We can learn a lot about a person by observing. A great leader understands how to redirect and re-program the programming, that can sometimes be layers deep. A person who is willing to change, let go and be open minded has the best chance of reaching their highest potential…which always goes to another level….so, the quest is constant with new opportunities always within reach.
To remember the days of the efficiency guy? I one time carried a stop watch around, timing how long people took to move paper and make decisions. When computers became more popular than paper, I was there timing how long it took people to move their cursor from one side of the screen to another. Now that sort of stuff is all automated. 🙂 Very glad it is.