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Believing

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There is extraordinary power in the simple act of believing. In and of itself, believing is the process of weighing the pros and cons, and all the possible outcomes, to draw a conclusion of what is and what can be. Believing is not an absolute but rather a state of mind. It's your perception of who you are and the world around you. In every way, believing serves as your internal compass.

As a leader, what you believe, and how completely you believe, is critical to establishing the accuracy of your internal compass. Believe a little and your compass will waiver. Believe a lot and your compass will guide you to the desired outcome. When you don't believe at all, your compass is useless - and you are lost.

Here are some no-compromise leadership thoughts on the power of believing:

  • You first: As a leader, you must believe in yourself first before others can believe in you. No one is going to be inspired by a leader lacking self-confidence and the determination to win. When you believe in yourself - even in the toughest of situations - others will believe in you. It's in those tough times that you need to believe in yourself most. How you lead in tough times defines you as a no-compromise leader.

  • Reset your compass: Time and time again I see leaders blaming staff for lackluster performance, missing goals, and costly mistakes. Most often, the cure is as simple as resetting the leader's compass. People, teams, and organizations rise to the challenge for causes they believe in. When work is all about the numbers and hitting goals, the emotion, and passion for winning is in short supply. Resetting your compass means reconnecting with the vision and purpose of the company and understanding that numbers and hitting goals are simply measurements of what you, your team, and the company believes in and what is possible.

  • Believing you can win doesn't mean you will win: Great achievements and extraordinary performance are not inspired by "I/we can't do it" thinking. Believing in the possibility of winning - of achieving breakthroughs - is what carries you and those you lead over the rough patches. Not getting the win after putting up a good fight still carries a lot of fulfillment. And there's so much to learn from almost winning. Just a few tweaks may be all that's required to be first to cross the finish line. It's pure agony to play any business game believing that you're going to lose.

  • Live it first: We all have our moments of doubt. There may be times when we question if we're good enough, smart enough or tenacious enough. But believing in yourself, your team, and your company is where extraordinary journeys begin. Step back from the daily craziness and, in a positive way, reconnect with what you believe in about yourself, your team, and your company. When you live what you believe, others will follow you on your journey.

  • Celebrate the imperfections: I have to throw this thought into the mix. It's the imperfections that make us unique - that make our companies unique. There are things about me that are imperfect and are not going to change. Just like all the things I naturally do well and exceed at, there are things I goof up. It all makes me unique and who I am. And often gives others and me stuff to laugh about. Yet, I never allow imperfections to compromise what I believe in. That perhaps is the most important thought to remember.


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