Extraordinary leaders have the mindset to achieve and inspire greatness.
What differentiates a leader who has a great possibility for success from one that is simply average is their mindset. Their mindset dictates how they think, what drives their life, the kind of decisions that they make, and the problems that they can solve.
Extraordinary leaders recognize that, when they have the right mindset, they are able to influence the people around them in positive ways to help stimulate productivity, innovation, and personal growth in their teams.
Extraordinary leaders live by three basic truths that help them attain and maintain the mindset they need to accomplish this level of effectiveness. They understand that greatness is achieved by surrounding themselves with other extraordinary people, that results are a consequence of their choices, and that how they change affects how they succeed.
Who you spend time with is who you become.
If you want to be a great leader, you must walk hand-in-hand and side-by-side with great leaders. If you want to be a successful leader, you must engage yourself with successful leaders. If you want to be a good decision maker, you must position yourself with people who are good decision makers.
By surrounding yourself with people who you admire and look up to, you effectively immerse yourself in discussions, ideas, and an environment that inspires you to work toward your own goals and achieve excellence. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you should solely associate with people who are financially successful or powerful. People from all walks of life have the potential to contribute the wisdom, consciousness, and energy that you need to become an extraordinary leader. Start by identifying your own values and determining your vision of success, and then look for the qualities in others that align with your values and vision.
What you choose is what you get.
Extraordinary leaders understand that the circumstances in which we find ourselves don’t define the person we become; it’s the choices that we make. I’ve fallen into the trap myself, when I’m in a slump, when I begin to tell myself, “I’d be doing so much better if only X was true.” When I find myself doing that, I always stop and tell myself:
People have done a whole lot more with a whole lot less.
The number of “Rags to Riches” stories is not small. There are many, many people in this world who have accomplished so much starting out with so very little. And again, it’s not just about financial success. There are everyday extraordinary leaders, past and present, who are giving so much to make our world a better place with little or no recognition or financial incentive. Being an extraordinary leader takes passion, it takes courage, and it’s about inspiring others to take action as well.
It’s the choices we make that define the results that we have in our life. So, how do you make sure that you are making good choices? Let’s stop and think: have you discovered that the top performers on your team always focus on results, while non-performers focus on obstacles? Make sure that you are making choices that will move you forward by focusing on the result of the choice.
How you change is how you succeed.
We all recognize that we need to be able to adapt to change to succeed. It’s no big secret, and I even feel a bit weird about having to write about it. However, many of us (myself included at times) still insist on resisting, or at least feeling very uncomfortable, with change.
Most people change only when the pain of remaining the same becomes greater than the pain of changing. Extraordinary leaders are confident with change. They have the mindset that change is a wonderful thing that opens doors to new challenges and opportunities – to growth and achievement.