Why Leaders Need To Be Abundance Thinkers
What we believe about ourselves, our situation and our world drives our thoughts and actions and therefore has a huge impact on the results we achieve. While this is a profound fact for us as individuals, as a leader, those beliefs (and the resulting thoughts, actions and results) have a significant impact on many others too.
This set of beliefs is sometimes called our mindset, which can be defined as a particular way of thinking; a person’s attitude or set of opinions about something.
In a broad way, most people have either an abundance or a scarcity mindset.
The table below illustrates the differences in definitions.
While you may find yourself identifying with some items on each list, chances are one side or the other will define your mindset or beliefs about the world more accurately.
There are four reasons why you will get better results with a mindset more in line with abundance thinking than scarcity thinking:
1. Your customers have earned it
Your customers have exchanged funds for your services; services that they expect to make their life better in one or more ways. Yes, they have given you money for a product or service, but there are other possible dimensions to this value exchange.
When your customers interact with people exhibiting the abundance mindset behaviours, they are more likely to be happy with that exchange, come back more frequently, and tell others about your products and services.
The spreading of these behaviours starts with you.
2. Your organisation needs it
Your customers write your (and your teams) paychecks. So when you do things that positively impact your customers and their interactions with you, it develops their long term willingness to stay and keep paying you, and thus, you are doing what your organisation hired you to do.
Whether you’re in a government agency or a not for profit, there is a customer who is writing your paycheck.
Your organisation needs you to be on the left side of this chart to create stability and long-term viability for the enterprise.
3. Your team members crave it
Look at the abundance list again. Many of these speak directly to the behaviours and habits people want in a supervisor, coach and manager. It is called ‘effective leadership’; when people choose to follow. Without a doubt, people want to follow leaders who:
- willingly share their knowledge and expertise
- give credit
- are trusting
- are grateful
But your team members not only crave or desire these things from you, they need these things to grow, develop and become who they are capable of becoming (and therefore making a greater positive impact for your organisation and customers).
People choose to follow leaders who are abundance thinkers.
4. You deserve it
Here is the bottom line. You will be happier, healthier and receive better results with the abundance mindset than the scarcity mindset. This is true for you personally; and for the reasons listed above you will be more successful as a leader when you adopt or move towards this mindset.
Reflect not only on what you say you believe, but also on which of these behaviours you actually execute.
Belief is the start but it is the actions themselves that will make all the difference.
By Kevin Eikenberry
Published with permission from the International Institute of Directors and Managers (IIDM) – www.iidmglobal.com
Proteus Leadership is one of Australia’s premier leadership training and development companies. Proteus Leadership provides leadership courses and management training to a range of industries and assists organisations to build positive workplace cultures, implement change and Create Great Leaders. Proteus also facilitates a range of world-class management courses, workshops, conferences and events across Australia and beyond with the sole purpose of bringing leaders together to connect and grow.
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