Leadership Skills: Positive Mental Attitude
Leadership Skills: Positive Mental Attitude
All great leaders know how to use their imagination.
Your imagination is your ability to see mental images in your mind's eye.
Leaders know you are affected by your own imagination.
Leaders know that you are affected by the material world
If the weather changes for the better, then you notice and respond emotionally to the better weather.
If the weather changes for the worse, then you notice and you then respond emotionally to the bad weather.
Leaders know you are affected strongly by the social world
If your friends and family and colleagues are nice to you, then you feel good.
But if your friends and family and colleagues are nasty to you, then you feel bad.
You are affected by the facts of the material and social world.
But please note this:
Leaders know you are even more strongly affected by your imagination
Your imagination may be defined as "the pictures in your mind". Your imagination creates your mental images. You react emotionally to your own mental images.
You react emotionally to whatever you picture in your mind.
- There are some people who create mental images that undercut their own sense of self confidence and courage.
- There are other people who create mental images that are the source of astounding levels of self confidence and courage.
Leaders know that your imagination is a double edged sword
Whether you feel like a champ or a chump is dependent on how you are using your imagination.
Leaders know that some people use their imagination to destroy their chances
For example, if Lez is asked to make a presentation to the board of directors to explain the idea he proposes to improve the efficiency of the system, then Lez's imagination immediately goes to construct mental images of him failing dismally, dropping his notes, sneezing on the boss, and forgetting his lines.Whenever some people are faced with a situation that is new and that contains some risk, but at the same time, contains some opportunity, then these people use their imagination to picture all the possible things that could go wrong.
He imagines the board rejecting his idea as stupid and reacting angrily to his implied suggestion that the current system is deficient. As a result of such imaginings, Lez psychs himself out and backs out of the whole idea. He refuses to present to the board, saying, "They probably would not like my ideas, so what is the point of risking their disapproval. "
Lez fails before he even begins.
On the other hand;
All leaders know that other people use their imagination to give themselves courage and motivation
For example, Adrian has an idea to improve the system and so she too is given the opportunity to present her ideas to the board of directors. Adrian imagines that this is her big opportunity to make her case to the people who have the power to put them into practice.
Adrian sees in her mind's eye the board of directors warming to her ideas and she uses her imagination to predict the questions that they are likely to ask.
So she prepares answers to all the questions that she can imagine the directors asking. As she prepares her answers, she feels even more confident that her moment to shine has come at last.
As a result of her imaginings she attends the board meeting brimming with confidence and delivers her speech accordingly.
All leaders know that positive imagination does not make you win, but it certainly helps
Just because you imagine yourself as winning does not mean that you're automatically going to win. But imagining yourself as successful will improve your chances of winning by at least 30%.
On the other hand;
All leaders know that imagining that you will lose will be enough to cause you to lose
Imagining that you will fail will be enough, in-and-of itself, to cause you to fail.
- If you imagine you're beat, then you are.
- If you imagine you're weak, then you are weak.
Using your imagination in negative ways is, in-and-of-itself, enough to cause you to fail.
So you need to discipline your mind and consciously ask yourself to use your imagination to picture yourself as succeeding.
Adopt the mind set of a great leader:
See it, believe it and achieve it!
As the team leader or manager, you know that, on the technical level, you are very good.
In your role as an effective and inspirational leader-manager, you recognise that there may be some gaps.
Now you are searching for a method to help you to improve your skills as a team-leader and manager - click here to find out more!
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About the Author: Chris Farmer
Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years’ experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.
Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.
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