Gifted Leaders

Choose an Optimistic Mindset

“The circumstances of life, the events of life, and the people around me in life, do not make me the way I am, but reveal the way I am.” - Sam Peeples

What are the circumstances and events of the day revealing in you? Fear and uncertainty? Hope and determination?  You know, you do have a choice.

Choosing an optimistic mindset, meaning you’re open to learning and growing despite your circumstances (versus a pessimistic mindset that’s focused on what’s wrong) is a much more effective long-term strategy, both professionally and personally.  A colleague of mine recently sent an e-mail with “Definition of Optimism” in the subject line.  Here’s what it said:

“On my way home today, I stopped to watch a Little League baseball game that was being played in a park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the first-base line, I asked one of the boys what the score was. ‘We’re behind 14 to nothing,’ he answered with a smile. ‘Really,’ I said. ‘I have to say you don’t look very discouraged.’ ‘Discouraged?,’ the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face ... ‘Why should we be discouraged? We haven’t even been up to bat yet!’”

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunities.” – Albert Einstein

Where’s the opportunity in the midst of your circumstances?

Finding Your Way through Change, Transition and Uncertainty

“We have, as individuals and as teams, an enormous capacity for problem solving, creativity and success. How can we access this capacity? It begins with trust. Trust opens the door to unlimited possibilities and during these times of uncertainty and change, it's our greatest resource!” - Victoria Crawford

Crawford has recently announced her new book, The Art & Practice of Trust: Finding Your Way through Change, Transition and Uncertainty. The book offers a simple, practical pathway for navigating uncertainty and discovering the freedom and innovation that comes from the practice of trust.

Self trust is at the foundation of confidence, effective action and optimism. With self trust, you can relax, be present and look for opportunities rather than get caught in fear. It is fear that is underneath worry, confusion, self doubt and overly cautious hesitation that results in lost opportunities.

What would help you trust yourself more and build trust with others?

Give What You Have

“What shall I do? I expect to pass through this world but once. Therefore any good work, kindness, or service I can render to any person or animal, let me do it now. Let me not neglect or delay to do it, for I will not pass this way again.” - An Old Quaker Saying

It isn’t the thing you do, dear,
It’s the thing you leave undone,
That gives you the bitter heartache
At the setting of the sun;
The tender word unspoken,
The letter you did not write,
the flower you might have sent, dear,
Are your haunting ghosts at night.

 

The stone you might have lifted
Out of your brother’s way,
The bit of heartfelt counsel
You were hurried too much to say;
The loving touch of the hand, dear,
The gentle and winsome tone,
That you had no time or thought for,
With troubles enough of your own.

 

These little acts of kindness,
So easily out of mind,
These chances to be angels,
Which even mortals find -
They come in nights of silence,
To take away the grief,
When hope is faint and feeble,
And drought has stopped belief.

 

For life is all too short, dear,
And sorrow is all too great,
To allow our slow compassion
That tarries until too late.
And it’s not the thing you do, dear,
It’s the thing you leave undone,
That gives you the bitter heartache,
At the setting of the sun.

- Adelaide Proctor

“Give what you have, for you never know - to someone else it may be better than you can even dare to think.” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Source: Streams in the Desert by L. B. Cowman

Trust: The Foundation of Business Success

“When you think about it, trust is everything. It’s even more important than vision, strategy, systems, and skills because trust dramatically affects the trajectory of each of those elements and of every other element.” - Stephen M. R. Covey

Here are a few more of Covey’s thoughts on trust:

Trust increases the speed at which organizations and people can perform. Trust decreases operational costs and improves profits. High trust relationships can move with incredible speed, little time wasted, minimal “second guessing” and limited resources.

Low-trust relationships are just the opposite - everything takes longer, every decision is scrutinized, and a lot of money is wasted. Without trust, any company team, or strategy can become derailed.

The difference between high-trust relationships and low-trust relationships is not only qualitative, but it’s also extremely quantitative - every benefit or deficit created by trust or the lack of trust can be measured. Trust is an economic driver.

Source: Go Jobing Magazine - Spring 2008

What steps can you take to develop trust with and between others on your team? What has to happen to build a high-trust culture in your workplace?