Developing Your Extraordinary Mindset Opportunities

By: Neal Burgis, Ph.D.
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:40:17
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Just like artists who unleash their talent for being creative, you too can develop your own inspired creativity using the talents you have. Since your thoughts, attitudes, and expectations affect everything you do as a leader, you need to also look at your priorities as well as identify success factors for your company. Your critical goals and strategies to achieve these talents and successes are good places to begin. Experience new ways of thinking, not just about leadership, but about everything you do.

But business is business, and you want to get to the top and stay there. What do you do to make that happen? In paving your way toward becoming a better leader than you have been, the following tips are what I found for Developing an Extraordinary Mindset of Opportunities for those of you who want to become extraordinary leaders and those of you who are leaders and want to become even more extraordinary leaders:

1. Develop Extraordinary Mindsets: Since your beliefs or the way you think produce the specific results you want, ask yourself, “Do I have a solid understanding of my game plan?” If so, begin to create attainable goals that will generate powerful results. If not, begin by writing down what you have already accomplished, and then add to that list what you want to accomplish as a business leader.

2. Develop Leadership Bench Strength: Be ready to strengthen your leadership capabilities. Tap into your natural strength areas of high performance management, articulating and implementing your vision, inspiring your people, having integrity, being accountable, as well as even more importantly, make things happen.

If you feel that some of your skills need a helping hand, build on them. Leading a team or a department is different from managing a team or a department. With that in mind, having a foundation of leadership skills on which to build gives you the opportunity to strengthen those skills when you use them and to gain other skills in the process. By integrating your new skills with the skills you already have, you are able to perform your job more effectively. It is vital that you acquire new skills that will enable you to perform effectively. Do not ignore any weaknesses you find either – work on improving them.

3. Focus your Mind: Evaluate your skills, knowledge, and competencies. Start by writing down a list of the things you have accomplished that were so exceptional that they gave you better results than what you expected. Manage your time according to your priorities. Also, when you make a decision, make sure you have both short- and long-term goals in mind. (Your legacy is also on the line here).

4. Take Control of Your Creativity: Do not analyze the reasons that something did not work to the exclusion of improving the situation so that it will work the next time. That is a waste of energy and time. At times you may need to go beyond traditional thinking when you are met with a challenge. Thinking more creatively by first brainstorming about how to solve a problem or in implementing a policy might be what is needed. Having an exchange of ideas with others can trigger the beginning of what you are looking for regarding a solution to a problem or even a new product or service that your company is looking to produce.

5. Exceptional People Skills: Have you ever wondered how some people can walk into a room full of strangers and leave with new friends and business acquaintances? This is where your interpersonal skills come into play as they are related to all of your other competencies. Look at how your skills are compared to those of Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence. (See Goleman’s book entitled: Working with Emotional Intelligence as there are just too many to list here.)

6. View Obstacles as Opportunities: Do not think of the downside of what is holding you back or of how this is going to stop you from getting to where you want to go. Instead, think of obstacles as stepping stones and think of ways to get over what is stopping you. Learn to develop new ways of thinking about opportunities. You will be amazed of your improved communication skills, team-work, commitment to your work, as well as your increased organizational performance.

7. Forward Thinking: Knowing what to lead and aligning your skills with confidence and practical ideas to challenge issues with practical and creative solutions encourages the leader to think beyond the confines of traditional leadership. Since it provides you with different perspectives, your insights become unique for solving the issues at hand.

Neal Burgis, Ph.D. is the founder and CEO of Burgis Successful Solutions, an executive coaching firm. Neal has 18 years of experience helping people with their goals and performance. He specializes in executive coaching on work balance issues of performance, leadership development, and improving skills, as well as being a sounding board. Dr. Burgis is a National Certified Psychologist, a Certified Executive Coach and a Certified Mediator. He is available to help with your coaching needs either in person or through telephone coach consultations at your convenience. For more information, you can visit his website at http://www.successful-solutions.com or contact Neal at 602-405-2540 or nburgis@successful-solutions.com.

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