4 Essential Strategies to Become a High Performance Focused Leader

If you’ve ever been to a developing country, the very first thing that you notice is entrepreneurship and examples of leadership. It starts at the airport and can be seen throughout the country. Jobs in these countries aren’t abundant and the ones that are available to the average working person don’t pay well.

To survive, people become entrepreneurs and leaders. It can be selling food they made, the jewelry they designed, games, candy, toys, performing, and much more. They figure out how they can make a couple of dollars every day. There’s a lot to be learned from their example.

Being a high-performance-focused leader is hard work. There are more times than not when you feel like giving up. There are times when you feel like all the stars have to be aligned for you to start or experience growth.

At some point, you need to stop what you’re doing and become committed to leadership — much like the entrepreneurs, we talked about at the beginning of this article. You have to stop listening to your doubt, fear, and the negative voices of others. Do the growth work despite how you feel. There are four things that you should stop doing if you want to be successful in leadership.

1. Stop using learning as an excuse to not take action.

The internet and social media have created incredible ways for us to consume the information we need to grow. It has also created an easy path to information overload that can keep you stuck. The reality is that you probably have more knowledge than you realize about the path to growth.

Set aside specific days and times dedicated to learning new information that will help you grow. Don’t let the latest and greatest Facebook Live, Webinar, or three-video series suck you into what feels like compelling information but is not what you need right now.

Don’t let good copy distract you from taking action. You could end up learning that what worked for someone else but doesn’t work for you.

2. Don’t give in to excuses.

You’ve met that leader who is always talking about all the interesting things they are working on and will finish someday. You see them months later and nothing has changed. Don’t be that leader.

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Let your actions speak for themselves. Let the things you do show what you’re about. Stop talking about what you want or will do and just do it. Better to risk failure by taking action than resting behind the comfort of your words. Don’t give in to excuses.

3. Stopping putting things off.

You might have a hard past. Things might be happening to you right now that make you feel like giving up. You might be afraid. Whatever is happening or has happened, you have a decision to make.

You decide if you’ll let your circumstances dictate your life and future. You have to open your eyes and realize when you have been making excuses and stop. Excuses won’t build you grow and will keep you complacent instead of hungry. Don’t let excuses have any part in your leadership journey.

4. Stopping worrying about outside circumstances.

It’s natural to worry about what other people think but worrying about others won’t get you towards your goals. This is your life. This is your journey. Other people’s opinions won’t put dollars into your pocket. They won’t be there during the good times and the bad.

You have to get over what other people think and be willing to take the hard road that sometimes leads to failure. That road is usually where breakthroughs happen. Breakthroughs and milestones don’t happen in other people’s minds.

There’s a lot to be learned about leadership in places where that is the main way to survive. In those circumstances, the leader is driven by action versus all of the other self-limiting beliefs that can derail growth.

You have to stop talking and do more. Let your actions show how serious you are.