Belief enables leadership. You must believe in the people you lead.
Leaders who don’t believe in people are control freaks.
Knowledge guides belief.
The more you know about the people around you, the better you can trust them.
Know what everyone on the team does well. Don’t take a broken truck to the dentist.
Know people’s capacity to rise. Put weight on people and see how they respond. Some respond positively to challenges. Others prefer stability.
Know what lights them up. Motivation is intrinsic. Monitor everyone’s energy. When you see someone go bright you learn their motivations. Give people work that energizes them.
Confidence enables belief.
Finish this sentence for everyone on the team. I’m confident _________ can _________.
Autonomy expresses belief.
How can you let people make their own decisions? Maybe their job defines the work they do, but they can find their own way to do the work.
Challenge:
Past disappointments weaken belief. You trusted people and they let you down. But you trusted the wrong people.
Strengthen your ability to believe in people by learning about them. Exercise informed belief. Blind faith is dangerous.
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What role does belief play in leadership?
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This post was previously published on LEADERSHIPFREAK.BLOG and is republished with Creative Commons license.
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How to Overcome Negative Thoughts
It’s natural to obsess over one bad thing and forget many good things. One problem, like one drop of poison, has the power to pollute everything.
Life is better than it seems for negative people.
Negative thoughts create a small box.
Negative thoughts:
Obsession over one negative quality clouds your judgment.
Suppose you have a team member who consistently arrives five minutes late for meetings. They’re great with people, highly skilled, and serve clients well.
Where would you be without Mr. Five Minutes Late? Does he bring value? If yes, stop obsessing over one negative quality.
What if timeliness is a hill you want to die on?
Because I said, “Stop obsessing over one negative quality,” you may have assumed I meant forget all about timeliness. ‘All or nothing thinking’ holds leaders back.
Rise above one-thing-thinking:
One way to stop obsessing over negative thoughts is to take specific action.
1. Obsess about honor and gratitude as much as you obsess over fixing problems.
2. Force yourself to think about the big picture.
3. Try a ‘just for today’ approach.
Just for today, let go of nagging Ms. Can’t-You-Show-Up-On-Time. Nag her tomorrow. Just for today, notice her value and contributions.
4. Explain your expectations and ask, “What can you do to arrive on time?” Listen for specific behaviors. “Try harder,” isn’t an answer.
5. Meet with Ms. Tardy 10 minutes before the meeting to discuss something else.
6. Schedule 50-minute meetings. Don’t force people to be late for their next appointment.
7. Don’t ask, “Why are you late?” Why questions invite excuses that force you to become an accuser.
Bonus: Make a list of all the positive contributions of Little Mr. Can’t-Show-Up-On-Time. Work to improve your own attitude.
Obsessing over negative thoughts:
- Closes minds.
- Distracts from positive behaviors.
- Results in unbalanced judgment.
- Makes you small.
What are your suggestions to stop obsessing over negative thoughts?
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