Archives for 2024

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate!” Carl Gustav Jung

WOULD YOU HIRE YOU AS A LEADER?
A few days ago I was watching Dr. Edith Eva Eger on surviving Auschwitz in various videos und how experiencing something bad can be turned into a positive learning lesson. During one
presentation Edith asked her audience an interesting question: “Would you like to be married to yourself?” In other words by being truly honest with our inner being and admitting to our strengths, weaknesses, emotional state, how we react and respond in challenging and good times, whether we would still decide to marry the exact person we are. This self-reflection made me think and relate it to leadership development.

Would you hire you as a leader of your organization and /or your team knowing honestly yourself as you are?

The point of this question is to know how we perceive ourselves deep inside of us and how feel about our competencies and potential we have. The ultimate feeling how you see you and feel about you determines how others perceive you in your life – privately and professionally and that will manifest in your results in your life. Are there any aspects of you that you could improve or possibly accept? Time and again when I speak with successful leaders I am reminded that one of their greatest strengths is their devotion to regular self-reflection.

Their courage to face the truth about their thoughts, expressions, decisions and actions, plus their desire to always improve themselves leads directly to their higher performance, self-confidence and happiness.

LIST OF DAILY SELF-REFLECTION QUESTIONS YOU CAN ASK YOURSELF:
It’s helpful to record these in your private leader’s journal or record them on a phone:
o What have I achieved today?
o What did I do today that didn’t work?
o What should I do about that?
o Where did I model our values today that could be noticed by others?
o Who do I need to spend more time with?
o What have I done today to remind us of our vision and purpose?
o What have I avoided today?
o Why did I avoid them?
o What do I need to improve in my leadership?
o What one big thing can I influence, so that a major improvement will take place?
o Have I demonstrated today that I value and care for our people?
o What would I do if I knew I could not fail?

Remember, what you focus on grows. Where attention goes, energy flows and matter grows. This is the universal law.

IF YOU WANT TO REACH A GOAL, YOU MUST “SEE THE REACHING” IN YOUR OWN MIND BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY ARRIVE AT YOUR GOAL. Zig Zigl

If you take a look around you, you will see that everything was first an image or a thought – an idea in a human mind – it came out of consciousness. Your human mind is constantly using its power – visualization in order to create future experiences. This process happens so naturally that you generally aren’t even aware of it, the same way you usually aren’t aware of your breathing. Only if you are conscious of it then you are actively and purposely directing your thought process towards that you want. YOU THINK – ENVISION ON PURPOSE.

The more details you put in your visualization the more real it will seem, and the more it will increase your performance and the chance of getting what you want. This is by developing neural connections in your brain that result from the repeated visual image. The trick is to imagine the specific situation in as many details as possible using all your senses – you can see it, smell it, hear it, feel it and taste it. For many people, it helps when they close their eyes, and then there are others who prefer to write it all down instead of doing it purely in their mind.

DID YOU KNOW? Your mind cannot tell the difference between your memory/actual experience and your envisioned situation. Meditation is one of ways to calm & clear your mind in order to move towards a desired outcome. If you are new to meditation, there are many meditations e.g. on YouTube to choose from. I’ve recognized the power of meditation and I use it at the start of coaching sessions with my clients, on a phone or in person.

Writing (daily) affirmations helps your mind to get into the future mode too. Write affirmations in present tense, and be careful not to write too many. Always do an emotional check on how your statements feel to you. If they feel unreal, in other words you don’t believe them because your analytical mind rejects them, then you need to calibrate – go a bit more general for your mind to accept them.

Another way of visualizing your future is to create a vision board. A vision board is future possibilities in pictures, words or symbols, where you’re headed. A vision board should represent your life, your work at its greatest potential. As a leader give your people permission to have fun with creating it. Let them know, “We’re doing something fun and different that’s going to benefit all of us.” It’s much better when it’s collaborative as you (can) create together.

* Put the finished vision board in a prominent place e.g. in your office or apartment so that you are regularly reminded of it. It will influence the way you and your people think – and consequently also behave.