Outstanding leadership is defined by outstanding thinking. Thoughts of excellence come before excellent words and deeds.
Our minds are magnetic. We get what we focus on. There is that much power that comes with our thoughts and beliefs. And it is as true with negative thoughts as it is with positive ones.
You could be questioning "So how is it possible to be positive all the time when negative stuff is just part of life?"
It's true, bad things happen, often turning up when we least expect it. All great leaders will tell you about the doozies of events that they had to deal with. It's all about what you make of it. A surprise or challenge doesn't need to be the end of the earth. What matters is how you interpret the event which will then decide what outcome you experience.
henry Ford, has been credited with the quote "Whether you think you can or cannot, you're right." Or put another way - what you think is what you get. There is no getting around it, our thoughts about others and the things that happen to us directly influences our beliefs and behaviour.
One outstanding young leader that understands this is Nick Hall. at the age of six, Nick declared that "When I grow up I will play soccer for Australia." He found coaches that could teach him the skills. He learned whatever others were willing to teach him. He surrounded himself with peers that challenged him to be the best, and they urged him to 'go above and beyond' and to 'take it to the top'. he learned about commitment, loyalty and excellence.
At the age of 10, Nick become a member of his state representative team. At the age of 13, Nick was selected in the junior national team to tour Brazil and represent Australia. Then at 16, he was awarded a scholarship to play in the American College League, allowing him to fulfill his dream of studying sports science while still following his passion of playing soccer.
Nick has captained many teams and held a number of leadership positions throughout his school years, and he has coached many younger players. In an interview for a sporting blog, Nick was asked what he credited his success to.
"My secret" he answered "is having a family that believed in me, who taught me the importance of keeping a positive attitude about anything that life throws at me. Plus I was fortunate enough to learn the importance of a nothing but excellence level of commitment early on in my playing career." It seems that all of our great leaders have discovered this 'secret', this attitude of excellence. Successful leaders can mentally reframe events so their teams can see challenges in a positive light - they make a new vision of success rather than failure. It's true, facts are facts, but it is our choice how we interpret them.
Continuously in our role of leadership there is a chance we can fall victim to poor thinking. Self-doubt and fear are the enemies of outstanding leadership. Our commitment and beliefs define who we are, and often others in the team rely on us. Remember the choice is yours, so think outstanding thoughts always.
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