Developing the Leader within Ch: 6

The Importance of Attitude in Leadership

• The characteristics we admire in others have to do with attitude, such as positivity, tenacity, and expectancy.
• Attitude is more important than facts, education, money, circumstances, failures, and successes.

The Power of a Whatever-It-Takes Mindset

• A whatever-it-takes mindset is an essential aspect of a successful leader's attitude.
• This mindset involves being sold out to achieving success, no matter what problems arise.
• Leaders with this mindset model an attitude of positive vision, resolve, tenacity, focus, determination, and commitment.

Disowning Helplessness

• To develop a whatever-it-takes mindset, one must disown helplessness and empower others to take responsibility.
• This can be achieved by:
  • Never making excuses
  • Creating a can-do environment
  • Modeling a whatever-it-takes attitude
  • Providing training to enable success
  • Challenging people to take responsibility
  • Giving solid feedback and celebrating successes

Taking Initiative

• Effective leaders take action and don't hesitate to take the initiative.
• They ask themselves questions like "What do I really want?" "What will it cost?" "Am I willing to pay the price?" and "When should I start paying the price?"
• The best answer to the last question is "now."

Entering the "No Whining Zone"

• Whatever-it-takes people know how to handle their feelings and don't let them get in the way of action.
• To cultivate gratitude and avoid complaining, one can:
  • Express gratitude, even when not feeling like it
  • Focus on the small and ordinary things
  • Express gratitude, especially in adversity

Putting on a New Pair of Shoes

• Good leaders can see things from other people's perspectives and make an intentional effort to connect with them.
• This involves being open to others, making an effort to understand their viewpoint, and being willing to receive love and help from them.

Nurturing Passion

• Leaders with great attitudes and whatever-it-takes mindsets usually exude energy and enthusiasm.
• The best career advice is to "Find your passion and follow it."
• Passion fuels vision, and vision is the focus of passion.

Exceeding Expectations

• To be an effective leader, one must exceed expectations and always underpromise and over-deliver.
• This involves setting the bar high for oneself and striving to exceed it, leading to personal growth and development.### The Whatever-It-Takes Attitude
• The whatever-it-takes attitude is a mindset that enables leaders to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals
• It requires being willing to do whatever it takes to succeed, even if it means trying new things, taking risks, and learning from failures

Expectations

• Leaders must understand the expectations of others, including their team members, clients, and stakeholders
• They should strive to exceed these expectations by adding value and delivering high-quality results

Never Being Satisfied

• Leaders should never be satisfied with their current situation, and always strive to improve and achieve more
• This mindset drives them to continually seek out new opportunities, learn from their mistakes, and grow as individuals

Putting a Whatever-It-Takes Attitude into Action

• Leaders should test new ideas and approaches, even if they may fail
• They should challenge assumptions, ask questions, and benchmark themselves against their potential, not just their past achievements
• They should be willing to take risks, make big bets, and initiate new efforts, even if it means facing the possibility of failure

Testing and Failing

• Testing and failing is an essential part of the learning process for leaders
• Failure provides an opportunity to learn, improve, and become stronger
• Leaders should see failure as a constant companion of success, and not be afraid to take risks and try new things

Learning and Improving

• Leaders should learn from their mistakes and use them as opportunities to improve
• They should focus on forming new habits, beliefs, and mental models that will help them grow and become better leaders
• Improvement is key to achieving success, and leaders should continually strive to become better versions of themselves

Reentering the Race

• After testing, failing, learning, and improving, leaders should re-enter the race with a strengthened whatever-it-takes attitude

• They should be committed to continuous improvement, and be willing to persevere through challenges and setbacks### Developing a Whatever-it-Takes Attitude

• A whatever-it-takes attitude can give you an edge in leadership, thinking, and inspiring others.

• It's essential to maintain a positive attitude, which can be achieved by reading positive words and quotes.

The Lion Chaser's Manifesto

• Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death.
• Run to the roar, set God-sized goals, and pursue God-given passions.
• Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution.
• Face your fears, fight for your dreams, and grab opportunity by the mane.
• Live like today is the first day and the last day of your life.
• Burn sinful bridges, blaze new trails, and live for the applause of nail-scarred hands.
• Dare to fail, dare to be different, and quit holding out.

Developing a Positive Believer

• People are born with a natural bent towards attitude, which can be either positive or negative.
• A positive believer can be developed by working on one's attitude and ability.
• Keeping a gratitude journal can help improve one's attitude.
• Writing down things you're grateful for every morning and night can increase positivity.

Failing on Purpose

• Taking a professional risk that may fail can help improve one's attitude.
• The process involves deciding on a test, writing it down, and taking action.
• If you fail, write about it, learn from it, and improve, then reengage as a leader.
• If you don't fail, try another test to continue improving your attitude.

The Importance of Attitude in Leadership

• The characteristics we admire in others have to do with attitude, such as positivity, tenacity, and expectancy.
• Attitude is more important than facts, education, money, circumstances, failures, and successes.

The Power of a Whatever-It-Takes Mindset

• A whatever-it-takes mindset is an essential aspect of a successful leader's attitude.
• This mindset involves being sold out to achieving success, no matter what problems arise.
• Leaders with this mindset model an attitude of positive vision, resolve, tenacity, focus, determination, and commitment.

Disowning Helplessness

• To develop a whatever-it-takes mindset, one must disown helplessness and empower others to take responsibility.
• This can be achieved by:
  • Never making excuses
  • Creating a can-do environment
  • Modeling a whatever-it-takes attitude
  • Providing training to enable success
  • Challenging people to take responsibility
  • Giving solid feedback and celebrating successes

Taking Initiative

• Effective leaders take action and don't hesitate to take the initiative.
• They ask themselves questions like "What do I really want?" "What will it cost?" "Am I willing to pay the price?" and "When should I start paying the price?"
• The best answer to the last question is "now."

Entering the "No Whining Zone"

• Whatever-it-takes people know how to handle their feelings and don't let them get in the way of action.
• To cultivate gratitude and avoid complaining, one can:
  • Express gratitude, even when not feeling like it
  • Focus on the small and ordinary things
  • Express gratitude, especially in adversity

Putting on a New Pair of Shoes

• Good leaders can see things from other people's perspectives and make an intentional effort to connect with them.
• This involves being open to others, making an effort to understand their viewpoint, and being willing to receive love and help from them.

Nurturing Passion

• Leaders with great attitudes and whatever-it-takes mindsets usually exude energy and enthusiasm.
• The best career advice is to "Find your passion and follow it."
• Passion fuels vision, and vision is the focus of passion.

Exceeding Expectations

• To be an effective leader, one must exceed expectations and always underpromise and over-deliver.
• This involves setting the bar high for oneself and striving to exceed it, leading to personal growth and development.### The Whatever-It-Takes Attitude
• The whatever-it-takes attitude is a mindset that enables leaders to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals
• It requires being willing to do whatever it takes to succeed, even if it means trying new things, taking risks, and learning from failures

Expectations

• Leaders must understand the expectations of others, including their team members, clients, and stakeholders
• They should strive to exceed these expectations by adding value and delivering high-quality results

Never Being Satisfied

• Leaders should never be satisfied with their current situation, and always strive to improve and achieve more
• This mindset drives them to continually seek out new opportunities, learn from their mistakes, and grow as individuals

Putting a Whatever-It-Takes Attitude into Action

• Leaders should test new ideas and approaches, even if they may fail
• They should challenge assumptions, ask questions, and benchmark themselves against their potential, not just their past achievements
• They should be willing to take risks, make big bets, and initiate new efforts, even if it means facing the possibility of failure

Testing and Failing

• Testing and failing is an essential part of the learning process for leaders
• Failure provides an opportunity to learn, improve, and become stronger
• Leaders should see failure as a constant companion of success, and not be afraid to take risks and try new things

Learning and Improving

• Leaders should learn from their mistakes and use them as opportunities to improve
• They should focus on forming new habits, beliefs, and mental models that will help them grow and become better leaders
• Improvement is key to achieving success, and leaders should continually strive to become better versions of themselves

Reentering the Race

• After testing, failing, learning, and improving, leaders should re-enter the race with a strengthened whatever-it-takes attitude

• They should be committed to continuous improvement, and be willing to persevere through challenges and setbacks### Developing a Whatever-it-Takes Attitude

• A whatever-it-takes attitude can give you an edge in leadership, thinking, and inspiring others.

• It's essential to maintain a positive attitude, which can be achieved by reading positive words and quotes.

The Lion Chaser's Manifesto

• Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death.
• Run to the roar, set God-sized goals, and pursue God-given passions.
• Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution.
• Face your fears, fight for your dreams, and grab opportunity by the mane.
• Live like today is the first day and the last day of your life.
• Burn sinful bridges, blaze new trails, and live for the applause of nail-scarred hands.
• Dare to fail, dare to be different, and quit holding out.

Developing a Positive Believer

• People are born with a natural bent towards attitude, which can be either positive or negative.
• A positive believer can be developed by working on one's attitude and ability.
• Keeping a gratitude journal can help improve one's attitude.
• Writing down things you're grateful for every morning and night can increase positivity.

Failing on Purpose

• Taking a professional risk that may fail can help improve one's attitude.
• The process involves deciding on a test, writing it down, and taking action.
• If you fail, write about it, learn from it, and improve, then reengage as a leader.
• If you don't fail, try another test to continue improving your attitude.

The Importance of Attitude in Leadership

• Attitude is more important than facts, education, money, or circumstances in achieving success.
• A good attitude is the extra plus in life that makes a leader's life better and influences the thoughts and feelings of the people they lead.

Whatever-It-Takes Mindset

• A whatever-it-takes mindset is the single most important aspect of a successful leader's attitude.
• It is an attitude of total commitment, where a leader is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve success, even in the face of problems.
• This mindset is common in all great leaders and serves both the leader and the people well.

Steps to Develop a Whatever-It-Takes Mindset

• Disown Helplessness: Aggressively pursue solutions, empower others, and create a can-do environment.
• Take the Bull by the Horns: Take action, be fearless, and seize initiative, as procrastination can be costly.
• Enter the "No Whining Zone": Handle feelings, put attitude in charge of emotions, and cultivate gratitude.
• Put on a New Pair of Shoes: See things from other people's perspectives, be open to others, and connect with people.
• Nurture Your Passion: Exude energy and enthusiasm, fuel excellence, and find your passion.
• Exceed Expectations: Underpromise and over-deliver, and always strive to exceed expectations.

Additional Key Points

• The leadership of a nation can shift the mindset of its people from proactive to helpless.
• A positive attitude can achieve more than a negative one, even with average resources.
• Initiative and taking action can lead to success, while procrastination can lead to missed opportunities.
• Gratitude is the antidote to a negative attitude and complaining spirit.
• Connecting with people and seeing things from their perspective is key to successful leadership.
• Passion fuels vision, and leaders who are passionate about their call create vision.### Attitude of Whatever-It-Takes Leaders
• The final attitude characteristic of whatever-it-takes leaders is positive discontent, always striving to improve and achieve more.
• Paul Martinelli, the president of the John Maxwell Team, is an example of someone who is never satisfied with past accomplishments and is dedicated to a relentless pursuit of improvement.

Putting a Whatever-It-Takes Attitude into Action

• Testing is a way to challenge the status quo and reach for potential.
• Paul Martinelli's approach to testing includes:
  • Taking action, even if it's imperfect, rather than waiting for the perfect moment.
  • Challenging assumptions, especially when successful.
  • Asking hard questions, such as "Is there a better way to do what we do?" and "What can we learn from others?"

Failing and Learning from Failure

• Failure is an essential step in the cycle of success.
• Paul Martinelli believes that the willingness to fail is essential for leaders to model and for teams to embrace.
• Failure can lead to growth and new opportunities.
• Seeing failure as a constant companion of success can help leaders maintain a positive attitude and learn from their mistakes.

Having a Game Plan to Get Over Failure

• Many people get bogged down by failure due to their egos.
• Defense mechanisms, such as denial and chasing losses, can hinder progress.
• Becoming dispassionate about failures and not getting too attached to plans can help leaders move forward.
• John Maxwell's 24-hour rule: give yourself 24 hours to celebrate a success or cry over a failure, then move on.

Learning and Improving

• The test-fail-learn process creates new content for our lives and teams.
• Learning from failure forms us into who we are and helps us develop new thinking patterns, communication styles, relationships, habits, and beliefs.
• Improvement is the greatest value of learning.
• The "Get-Better" mindset, which focuses on developing ability, is more effective than the "Be-Good" mindset, which focuses on proving ability.

Reentering the Race

• Once you've tested, failed, learned, and improved, you're ready to reenter the race with a strengthened whatever-it-takes attitude.

• Commitment is key to persevering and making progress.

• W.H. Murray's quote, "Until I am committed, there is a hesitancy...but the moment I definitely commit myself, then...a whole stream of events begin to erupt," inspires leaders to keep moving forward.### Developing a Whatever-It-Takes Attitude

• A whatever-it-takes attitude can give you an edge in leadership, helping you attract, lead, and inspire others.

• Reading positive words can help maintain a positive attitude.

Lion Chaser's Manifesto

• Quit living as if life's purpose is to arrive safely at death.
• Set God-sized goals and pursue God-given passions.
• Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution.
• Face fears, fight for dreams, and grab opportunities.
• Live like today is the first and last day of your life.
• Dare to fail and be different.

Developing a Positive Believer Within

• People are born with a natural bent towards attitude, which can be positive or negative.
• Constant encouragement can help develop a positive believer within.
• Keeping a gratitude journal can help improve attitude by focusing on things you're grateful for.

Improving Attitude

• Identify your natural bent - winner or loser, victor or victim.
• If negative, start improving attitude by keeping a gratitude journal for at least a month.
• Take a professional risk that's likely to fail to improve attitude, following the process of testing, failing, learning, improving, and re-entering.

Reflect on the qualities you admire in someone you respect, and how they relate to attitude and personal traits.