In a recent coaching session with a high school senior who is preparing for college and will soon begin working in his family’s business, we talked at length about the mindset of leaders and employees. We both agreed that “adulting” can be hard. Life and work become demanding, ever-changing, and even monotonous at times. It is easy to become discouraged, frustrated, or dissatisfied.
When we think about business leaders and their team members, we know that each person has unique circumstances and experiences that shape their perception in life and in their work. Everyone has challenges in their personal and professional lives yet creating the right mindset can make all the difference. When we observe the leaders we admire most, we often think of those whom we deem have reached a level of success in their field. While getting results is rewarding, the best performers set goals that aren’t merely about the outcome, but the process of reaching that outcome.
Successful leaders, entrepreneurs, and high performers understand that you never arrive; the journey is the destination. They work smart and they work hard to reach their goals, and then they work smart and work hard to sustain that success. It is a continuous process, and it all starts with your mindset.
Much like success in business, a winning mindset, is something you must choose to create, build up to, and maintain over time. Here are three ways you can foster a wining mindset:
1. Focus on discipline over talent.
Everyone is good at something, but talent alone is not enough. We all have some kind of talent or skill that in some way sets us apart from our peers. But a winning mindset understands that without discipline, talent can become nothing more than a hobby. Consistent high performers do not rely on talent alone; but rather, work on developing their craft, investigating their weaknesses, and making adjustments. John C. Maxwell said it best: "One of the paradoxes of life is that the things that initially make you successful are rarely the things that keep you successful.”
Team Activity: Discuss the John Maxwell quote and have every person share what actions made them successful early in their current role and what consistent actions keep them successful today.
2. Take one step at a time.
Have you ever been cleaning your home, and rather than finish one area before moving on to the next, you get distracted with everything you must do and move to another cleaning project before the initial one was complete? It is hard to gain momentum without building the foundation for success. And we build that foundation by completing one step at a time.
We regularly see business owners and teams hop from one thing to the next, never really accomplishing their goals. In our Performance Planning workshop, we focus on setting strategy and helping teams identify the steps needed to reach their goals. In business, the smarter way to exceptional growth involves consistent small steps. It’s not always exciting, but small consistent gains build momentum and contribute significantly toward your end goals.
Team Activity: Everyone on the team keep a tally of how many times they get distracted or jump from one task to another throughout a day or two in the office. Discuss any recurring distractions and how you all might be able to better limit those and create focused work times.
3. Believe in your vision.
For a leader to succeed, they must stay true to the vision they have set for their business or team. While flexibility and adaptability are certainly important in business, true leadership encompasses unshakeable trust that your vision will work. When you hit a roadblock, do you give up, or do you look for another path? Mental toughness, optimism, and emotional resilience are key to achieving your goals and encouraging others. Self-doubt and negative opinions are normal, but when you truly believe in your vision and ideas, you can face them head-on and move beyond them. In our Team Series, we help every member of a team develop their mindset and skills, so they not only believe in your vision, but they also support it and live it out daily.
Team Activity: Have everyone on the team review the team vision and mission. Then in a team meeting have each person share a recent example of when they have seen a fellow teammate living the vision.
A winning mindset is not something that most people innately have. It is developed through discipline, small steps, and believing in your vision. Focus on these three ways to foster a winning mindset, and you will achieve big things.
Wishing you a strong mindset,
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