Critical Habits For Leaders

Getting the great results we want- whether it be in life or in business- is the sort of elusive topic that fills libraries and seminar rooms. How many New Year’s resolutions have you accomplished so far?  How many busted dreams do you keep hidden in dark confines of your mind? How’s all that working for you? This inability to produce results get further complicated when we start dreaming big. Let’s suppose you want to increase sales in your business by say 100% in three months.  Just setting goals will not be enough. It will take massive changes in both your thinking and the way you do things. Not everyone is ready for that kind of action. Are you?

The typical pattern begins with a great plan about something you want to achieve in the future; very exciting and large as a mountain. As you begin comprehending the amount of effort it take to get the goals you want a zillion considerations will begin to surface. Instead of owning that mountain by carrying away the small stones first, you rationalize ways to postpone action. You rather wait for the ‘best’ moment, an easier path, or a lucky break (and many other excuses) to avoid facing up to the fact that you are not willing to do what it takes. In the end nothing gets done and the grand future fades away; again. In order to ‘have’ anything in life we have to ‘do’ something to achieve it. If you want wealth you must invest. If you yearn for love you must first give it away. Before demanding respect you must earn it. Whatever you want, you need to ‘do’ in order to ‘have. There is no other way around it. But ‘doing’ is just one part. You must also ‘be’ that person. You must ‘be-come’ the person who would have the things or qualities that you desire. You must embrace and grow into the beliefs, values and attitudes that embody that type of a person. We’ve all heard of the Lotto winner who, within a few years, lost his millions. He didn’t be-come the “millionaire”.
Think about President-elect Obama and his huge goal of becoming President. In order to HAVE something like the Presidency of the United States, you have to develop the beliefs, values and attitudes of a world leader. Likewise you must get rid of those limiting values and beliefs that hold you back from becoming such a person. In Business is the same. If you want high end customers your company must look and feel high-end. The staff must have the character and personality that will attract those customers. What is your attitude towards people who like luxury items or services? Is that attitude helpful and supportive? Think of what type of person you need to be in order to attract the kind of clients you want. Do you need to be organized, fun, friendly, daring, risk taker? If you want amazing customers you must build up your business into one that will attract amazing customers.
The curious thing is that the ‘being’ part is not about elaborating strategy or planning  some future course of action.  Ways of being refer to how are we showing up in life in any given moment.  Its a moment to moment decision and although we might not  think its that important, there is nothing more important because the present moment is the only thing that exists.  Everything else is a fixture of our imagination. By being the type of person you want to be in the future you are getting a sort of a test drive of what you are looking to achieve.
The next time you plan, think about the Be-Do-Have formula.  Who I need to be in order to do in order to have? First get absolute clarity of what you want. Then, make a list of things you will need to get done in order to achieve those goals. Follow up by making a list of those values, beliefs, strengths and attitudes you need to cultivate in order to get things done.
Settling now into the ways of being of the person who you seek to be in the future, makes it much easier to take action aligned and consistent with your goals. Walk a mile with the shoes of that other man/woman you want to be. They may be so comfortable you may end up keeping them.