As business leader, you set the tone for your organization. Show a little fear and your team feels terror. No matter how you feel, you must present a positive image. Here’s how.
Limit Your News Consumption
The news is bad. It has always been bad. Thomas Jefferson used to complain about the print media of his day. “If it bleeds, it leads,” is true. So while you might need to know what is happening in the world, do not immerse yourself in the news to the point of letting it affect your attitude.
Instead of the national news, pay attention to the news of the plumbing trade. Read CONTRACTOR Magazine. Follow leading plumbers in social media. Watch videos about the trade and that present the trade in a positive light.
Program Your Mind
The late motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar said, “You can change who you are, you can change what you are, by changing what goes into your mind.” Feed your mind positive material. Study successful businesspeople. Listen to motivational speakers while driving. Program your mind with positivity and your outlook will inevitably reflect it.
Practice Positive Self-Talk
Related to the content you consume is your self-talk. Practice positive self-talk. Build your self-image up in your mind. When facing a challenge, tell yourself you will find a way to overcome it, even if you do not know how.
Positive self-talk extends to what you tell your team. Tell each person what he or she can do, not what they cannot. Build people up. Do not tear them down.
Compartmentalize
Fear, uncertainty, and doubt inevitably creep into the thoughts of every business owner. If you can’t block them, compartmentalize them. Block time for worry. Set aside 15 minutes to worry about everything you can. When you find yourself starting to worry during the day, tell yourself that now is not the time. You will worry when scheduled.
Chances are, you will be unable to fill 15 minutes with worry. But if you don’t watch it, you can take 30 seconds of worry and stretch and repeat it enough to fill an entire day.
Keep the End in Mind
In business and life, setbacks are inevitable. Don’t let temporary setbacks become permanent. Keep the end goal, the big picture in mind. Where do you want to take your company? When you focus on the end, setbacks won’t stop you. They will annoy you.
Share the Vision
Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived. He said, “Where there is no vision, the people shall perish.” Your team needs your vision. Do not keep it to yourself. Share it with your team. Get the team to buy into your vision, to understand the big picture.
Sharpen Your Saw
In his landmark book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey tells the story of two woodcutters who were competing to see who could cut the most wood. The woodcutter who was more successful paused during the day to sharpen his saw. The other woodcutter worked hard without stopping. The lesson is that we can increase our effectiveness if we pause from time to time to sharpen our saws.
Take time out from your business to attend conferences and seminars, to visit another plumbing contractor, or to simply get away from the business. This is not time off, but time away. It is time to recharge your batteries, to allow your subconscious mind to work, to sharpen your saw.
Decide to be Positive
Ultimately, being a positive leader is the result of a decision you make. Decide to be positive. When you catch yourself slipping, tell yourself, “That’s not like me.” Then, conduct a do-over.
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