Flow & Grow or Struggle & Strife

Flow & Grow or Struggle & Strife

The key to "flow and grow" vs "struggle and strife" lies simply in perception. Leaders who can look their thoughts boldly in the eye and say, "that’s not true" are the ones who set the pace and pioneer new paths. The greatest discoveries and achievements are made by people who are willing to see beyond their perception. Here are three ways to leverage your perceptions:

View your business as organic

Leaders who understand that how they built the business is not how they need to grow it are the ones who create strong sustaining performance. When you change your perspective to see your business as organic then you are able to step in the right practices to consistently focus on what you need to tend to for healthy growth of your business. Here are a few key areas to focus on:

• Define the right daily business practices necessary for healthy growth and outline it so others can follow, participate and enhance them.
• Choose carefully what to focus on to maintain good growth.
• Hire good people and encourage them to learn first and then enhance current practices.
• Delegate and let go of being the expert.
• Listen and engage with others. Challenge your thinking and be willing to change to better your company or organization.
• Realize how you built your business or organization is not the recipe to grow it.
• Acknowledge that when you’ve reached a roadblock, your perception is no longer true and it’s time to gain a new one to find a better way.

Develop and influence others

Leaders who thrive in any scenario have the ability to create healthy and dynamic conversations with others. They are able to work with and through others to accomplish important goals and initiatives. This is the hardest of all skills to develop. The ability to do this well means to do the following well:

• Have a clear sense of purpose in every conversation with every individual or group.
• Focus on the purpose and outcome - not on the personality.
• Encourage the ability to change their perception of another to get the best possible outcome for the company and situation — this is the easiest statement and a hard one to do for many.

Many times people tend to point out all the issues with another person when a goal or expectation is not met. This exercise in pointing out the problem with others rarely works. What is proven as more effective is to define what is working, where is the gap, and work with others to find a way through.

• Recognize how your perceptions of others may limit achievement. Leaders who can see beyond their perception of others have the ability to inspire and motivate others to new heights.

Pay Attention to Your Thinking

The leader who is self-aware to see where believing their thoughts limits the performance of their company or people, and can change them, are the ones who grow great companies, organizations, and people. Leaders know changing their thoughts and perceptions does not change "who they are" and it will change "how they are." This truth allows them to quickly and easily adapt to the dynamic world around them and create new opportunities for all.

Related: 15 Tips to Build a Good Plan

Let go of your perspective and grow!

"Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change"
Wayne W. Dyer

Ready to hit your goals? It starts with your communication. Learn more about our newest course The Modern Leader's Playbook: Effective Communication here.