7 tips for developing a leadership mindset

The best leaders act differently because they think differently. The good news is that this way of thinking can be learned. Great leaders consistently demonstrate seven key habits of mind and these are habits you can develop too. As you read through them, you might recognize qualities you already have. The difference is that top leaders apply these habits consistently and at a higher level. They do not just show them on the good days but every day, even when it is difficult.

Here are your seven mindsets of success:

1. High aspirations

Most professionals and managers believe they have high aspirations. They aim to beat targets, improve operations, delight customers and make things happen. That is valuable, but it is not the kind of aspiration that defines the best leaders. Great leaders are not focused solely on perfecting the current system. They challenge it, reshape it and elevate it. They take people to places they would not have reached on their own.

Here are three ways you can discover high aspirations:

• Lean into the next crisis: This is when no one is quite sure what to do. There is a vacuum waiting to be filled. You can step in by offering an idea and taking the lead, especially when others are stepping back into the safety of the shadows. When you do, you may be asked to put your idea into action.
• Help a senior manager: Top managers are full of ideas and opportunities they would like to pursue, but they often lack the time and resources to develop them. By offering to help using some of your own discretionary time, you build a valuable relationship and create opportunities to contribute to larger projects. You also begin to understand how senior managers think. Once you see the world through their eyes, aiming high starts to feel natural and you begin to think big rather than small.
• Don’t tune out executive speeches: Most people hear what senior leaders say and then go back to their regular work. This drives CEOs and other managers crazy, because they are trying to explain what matters to them and what they want you to do differently. If you show that you understand their goals and take action, you will stand out from your peers. For instance, if they say they want more customer focus, call a customer and find out how your team can help them more.

2. Courage

Courage flows from high aspirations. If you are going to make a difference, change things and step up when others step back, you must take risks. That takes courage. Fortunately, courage can be learned. The fire service, mountaineers and special forces all take risks which most people would rather avoid. They all learn to deal with risk the same way:

• Slowly increase the level of challenge
• Have constant expert supervision, following a highly developed training program
• Enjoy peer group support and pressure

Eventually, all these groups are doing things which look crazy brave and courageous to other people but are simply another day at the office for them. This leads to a surprising discovery, that courage is contextual. You can be brave in one context and timid in another. As one explorer who had spent a year living on an ice pack in the Arctic put it: “Don’t ask me to sell double glazing: I would not last a day!”

3. Resilience

Resilience flows from courage. Courage means taking measured risks. If you have never failed, you have never taken enough risks. You need to bounce back stronger from every setback. You can acquire resilience in two ways, extrinsic and intrinsic.

Resilience begins with courage and courage means being willing to take measured risks. If you have never failed, it probably means you have not taken enough of them. The key is to bounce back stronger after every setback. You can build resilience in two ways: through external support and experiences and through internal mindset and self-belief

• Extrinsic resilience comes from having the right support and conditions. You need supportive colleagues, family and friends. A problem shared is a problem halved and a joy shared is a joy doubled.
• Intrinsic resilience comes from how you respond to events. The most resilient people have a strong sense of purpose and do not let obstacles get in their way. They stay positive by focusing on action rather than dwelling on what went wrong. They also embrace a growth mindset, viewing every setback as an opportunity to learn and become stronger.

Setbacks and failures are inevitable in any career. The difference between failure and success is often as simple as the difference between giving up and not giving up.

4. Collaborative

If you want to succeed, you cannot do it alone. Lone heroes may save the world in the movies, but not in the real world. Success is always a team effort.

The biggest challenge first-time managers face is shifting from asking “How do I do this?” to “Who can do this?” Making the move from ‘how’ to ‘who’ is a critical career transition. The best managers are so effective at this that they can sometimes appear to be idle. Unlike traditional managers, they do not feel the need to take on every tough problem themselves. They delegate widely because they build strong teams and trust them to deliver.

Many managers struggle with delegation because they ask the wrong question. When you ask, “What can I delegate?” the list tends to be short, since everything feels too important or urgent. A better question is, “What is impossible for me to delegate, ever?” This also produces a short list, but it frees you to delegate everything else and focus on where you can have the greatest impact. That is when you become a truly effective manager.

The collaborative mindset also builds networks of trust and influence across the organization: it is about building informal power which greatly amplifies your formal power. Think less about what you need from others and more about what you can give: help them, thank them and get to know them as people. We are entering a world where the givers, not the takers, will win in the long term.

5. Accountability

Accountability sounds boring but is revolutionary. It is about taking control of your destiny and helps in three ways at least:

• Productivity: The most productive people, like entrepreneurs, own their work. They act like it’s their own business. They do not act like disempowered employees. The result is transformational: they become highly productive, without the need for productivity tools.
• Emotional balance: If a colleague makes you angry, annoyed and upset, that is your choice. No rule says you must be angry, annoyed or upset. If you let others dictate your feelings, you become a victim of fate. Just knowing that you have a choice about how you feel is liberating. The key to liberation is two seconds, at most. That is how long it takes to pause and think about how you really want to react. Choose well.
• Career progress: Many colleagues will complain about useless bosses, colleagues and work. And who is responsible for that? You are. You need to find the conditions where you can truly thrive. If you are in the wrong environment, take steps to move somewhere better. Your career is shaped by your choices and your responsibility.

6. Positive

Who wants to work with a negative grump? Equally, you cannot tell people to be positive and happy.

Being positive is not about saying “have a nice day” while thinking “please drop dead.” Being positive is about a series of behaviours which you can learn and deploy:

• See solutions where others see problems
• Drive to action where others indulge in analysis
• Look to the future, not to the past
• Deal with the brutal facts instead of indulging in wishful thinking
• Count your blessings, don’t whine about problems

Here is a simple exercise to support more positive thinking. At the end of each day, write down three good things that happened. The act of writing is important because it makes the practice intentional. Within thirty days, you will start to naturally look for the good in each day and begin to see more of it. Positivity will become your default mindset.

7. Growth

You must keep learning to survive. Throughout your career, entire industries and trades will emerge and others will disappear. Think about the jobs and skills that were common in your parents’ generation and you will see a different world. The next generation will be equally bemused by the archaic world in which you started to work. To keep up, you need to adapt and keep learning.

Even within your own company, each promotion requires new skills because the rules for success change at every level. Succeeding in one role only proves you can succeed there. It does not guarantee success in the next.

The message is simple: keep growing or risk being left behind.

The good news is that you can learn and develop all these mindsets. You do not need to master every one of them. Start by focusing on a couple that interest you. With a bit of practice, you will notice a change and so will your colleagues. Mindset is the secret ingredient that will set you apart.

Save 30% on Mindset of Success with code AGB30