How we think about things changes everything...
I was recently asked by one of my clients what is my favourite leadership quote, and I was struggling with this because there are so many that I love and use regularly and that I find really encapsulate what I believe to be true about leadership.
In the end I chose the one that I used on my business card when I first started out fifteen years ago, and it is this beautiful quote from William James:
“The greatest discovery of our generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. As you think so shall you be.”
I have always felt that the most important thing that we have is our mind, and how we choose to see things is critical to the choices we make and then the influence we have on those around us.
We can allow ourselves to become sabotaged by endless fears, inadequacies and untrue beliefs about how other people see us. Or we can choose to do the opposite - which is to focus on our purpose - what we are ‘for’; to recall the times when we have achieved amazing things and to not let life occurrences become over exaggerated in the way we see them.
At the moment we are called on more than ever to remain resilient and to use what we have to carry us through. Because we all see things differently, we have different ways of coping - for some people an attitude of despair gives them some comfort and chance for expression. That is for them to decide. Whether you feel positive or negative is completely your choice, but let’s remember that the mind is a powerful escort to us as we navigate our way through this life.
PS - picture of my extraordinarily thoughtful dog, Monty.
Ruth
Chief Marketing Officer | Product MVP Expert | Cyber Security Enthusiast | @ GITEX DUBAI in October
1 年Ruth, thanks for sharing!
(Retired) VP Exploration - Royal Dutch Shell
4 年Hello Ruth, A wonderful quote and it reminds me of the leadership courses you taught for Royal Dutch Shell leaders. You inspired us to achieve a different level - through your instruction but also through your example. The quote is timeless and very appropriate in these time. Hope you are well, Linda
Partner & Non-Executive Director at Hill Dickinson LLP
4 年Great quote Ruth but in my opinion it doesn't beat the quote you left with us on role modelling. "A whisper from a leader is a shout to a follower" is often used by our people, years after you used it with us at Crewe Hall. It hit the spot.
I help companies grow by focusing on their most valuable customers
4 年Thanks for giving me permission to post a longer share Ruth. The personal reflections is “As you think so shall you be”.?Perhaps the external equivalent of this is “As you look, so shall you find”.?My clients are B2B companies that are ‘My Technology Is First’ enterprises.?Their leadership want to transition to a ‘The Client's Business Is First’ culture to increase revenue and profit.?Thinking about your post over the weekend led me to understand that if you look at a market through the perspective of your technology this will determine everything that you discover.?You frame your business environment as a technology area and all you will see is opportunities to provide technology. Your contacts will be procurement and technologists, your engagement will be hardware, bits and bytes and your opportunities will be constrained and competitive.?When you raise your eyes to the business horizon, your contacts become more senior and diversified, your opportunities focused on client profit and you add to your technology expertise an understanding of your client’s business.?Yes, this is utopian (and we all know the Greek roots of this word) but this is a short post and I only have space to share the positive side of it.