Are You A ‘Glass Half Full’ or ‘Glass Half Empty’ Leader?

“There’s no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love. There is only a scarcity of resolve to make it happen”

– Wayne Dyer

Are You a ‘Glass Half Full’ or ‘Glass Half Empty’ person? Do you see the world filled with possibilities and opportunities or do you see the world with a lack of resources and opportunities; in other words, scarcity? As a Leader, do you see unlimited opportunities for your people, your team and yourself to grow, develop and succeed, or do you believe that you are operating in a very confined and limited market? How you view this will ultimately determine your success and the success of your team. I know this may sound obvious, however, it is incredible to observe the number of leaders in today’s marketplace who are so focussed on trying to win not only their piece of the pie, but multiple pieces, believing that the pie is only so big. As such, their approach is very often coming from a position of scarcity, believing there is only so much business available to win, and hence their attitude and actions reflect this. And this of course rubs off on their people, and permeates through the culture, where eventually the culture becomes focussed on scarcity and limitations.

In many previous articles, I have stated that with leadership comes great responsibility, and as a leader, you must understand that your people are constantly looking to you for direction, guidance and inspiration. So if you see limited opportunities for growth and achievement, what do you think your people will believe, and what do you think their results will be like? It therefore becomes critical that if you are genuinely focussed on developing your team to their maximum potential, you must develop an abundance mindset around your leadership, rather than scarcity. To help you, here are some key areas to focus on :

1. Encourage your team & key stakeholders – remember, your team will never care how much you know until they know how much you care. Constantly seek opportunities to find areas where they are doing well and edify them for their good work. Please ensure that the edification is genuine, and that it is not a once off – do it constantly, and watch what happens to their attitude to their work and to their customers, and ultimately notice their results. Notice also how it helps you in terms of your perspective, your attitude and your mindset. You may be pleasantly surprised!
2. When faced with obstacles & challenges, search for the opportunity. As Napoleon Hill said, ‘Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.’ We know that nothing ever worth achieving is not worth fighting for and overcoming challenges for. As a leader, face the challenges head on, and set the example with an abundant mindset. Find the seed, then water and nurture it and watch it grow.
3. Understand that there is more than enough to go around. The reality is is that there is an abundance of opportunity out there. Think of it as the water in the ocean – as you take a bucket of water out of the ocean, there is still plenty left. In fact, it seems as though there is a limitless supply of water. And so it is with opportunities for you and your team – if you choose to focus on that.
4. Surround yourself with quality people. This cannot be underestimated. Ensure that you have quality people around you, who think like you, or if you are struggling to develop an abundance mindset, surround yourself with people who have an abundance mindset, and model them. As you know, like attracts like and for you to maintain an abundance mindset, it is crucial that you surround yourself with people who think the same.
5. Don’t justify your position or your direction. Be very clear on your vision and your values for the team and continue to move forward in that direction. Ensure that you take time to reflect on your progress and adjust accordingly, but never seek to justify your position to anyone. There is nothing to defend – leave that to the ‘glass half empty’ crowd!
6. To increase your abundance in an area of your leadership, focus on giving more in that area. One of my earliest mentors said to me that ‘the secret to living is giving’ and as I have developed more leadership experience, this principle has become clearer and clearer – and it simply works. As a leader, if you can give more to your people, the Law of Reciprocity will ensure that your abundance in that area will increase significantly. So give more.

As you continue to develop your leadership, seek to incorporate the above points and notice what happens to your engagement with your team and key stakeholders, not to mention the results you start achieving on a consistent basis. Understand that one of the biggest challenges of leadership is what goes on in the six inches between our ears. It is so important that we as leaders, think in a way that empowers our people and our teams, and in so doing, inspires us to constantly improve. So please, be a “Glass Half Full” Leader and make a massive difference in your world!

To your continued leadership success!!

Darren

Are you seeking to increase your influence? Click this link to download a FREE copy of my eBook “Lead With Influence – The 7 Strategic Keys to Unleash Your Sales Leadership Potential”.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post – I greatly appreciate it, and welcome comments and feedback. Please feel free to comment below, to follow me on LinkedIn, or to connect via Twitter or Facebook.

Darren is a Sales Leadership and Sales Performance Coach, Facilitator & Speaker.  He is an experienced and committed coach with a background of sales leadership success in large organisations. He applies a genuine focus to coaching and developing high performing sales leaders who are looking to unleash the potential of themselves and their teams.