Jennifer Touma's Blog, page 5

[New Post] Runaway Mind

Most of us let our minds run wild. We do not use it intentionally and actively.

 Our minds are like a switching station of on and off toggles. Which switch do you find yourself using most often? Is it on, where you give it something to do and are in control of its thoughts? Or is it  off, with your body and mind moving aimlessly without direction, running on autopilot? What kind of trouble can this get you into?

That’s an easy question. Autopilot leaves you at the mercy of circumstance, the moment, and chance. When this happens, there’s a huge likelihood you will have experiences you do not want instead of ones that you do want. If you go about your day aimlessly, you experience more failures and fewer successes, more frustration and less satisfaction, and feel like a victim rather than a victor.

In his book 33 Strategies of War, Robert Greene writes, “In the heat of battle the mind tends to lose its balance. It is vital to keep your presence of mind, maintaining your mental powers of whatever the circumstances . . . Learn to detach yourself from the chaos of the battlefield.”

Let’s break down this quote to its meaning.

“ In the heat of battle the mind tends to lose its balance.”

When you respond with emotion, you lose control of your wits and of your clear thinking. Keep your cool by taking deep breaths. This physical action will help you maintain your balance between thoughts and emotions and to be mindful of the moment and to be more in control of your response.

When moments of impact such as this collide with your everyday life, awareness is compromised and tends to go narrow. It is best to go wide, not narrow, in your awareness. In today’s environment, we are barraged by many things hitting us from all directions at once—unexpected aggression’s from colleagues and subordinates, setbacks, and memos that revenues are down. Throughout these challenges, remain calm, confident, and decisive.

“It is vital to keep your presence of mind, maintaining your mental  powers of whatever the circumstances.”

You must resist the emotional pull of the moment and stay alert to the interaction between you and the other person or you and the circumstance you find yourself. Remain calm, and you can be decisive, confident, and empowered no matter what is going on around you. Make your mind tougher by exposing it more often to adversity. Use your mental powers of adaptability and flexibility to changing situations.

“Learn to detach yourself from the chaos of the battlefield.”

That is, disassociate from the situation. See yourself as an observer going through the experience from a disassociated point of view as if you’re watching a movie. Doing so will help you be more emotionally objective; the emotions will be about the experience rather than the emotions of you the participant.

Being associated with an event means being immersed into the experience and feeling all the emotions involved. Maintaining your presence of mind will keep you on course, in both emotional and mental control, and clear of their control over you. Having self-control will keep you in charge of how you respond to the moments of impact, regardless of the situation or circumstance you find yourself.

To Your Success,

Jennifer

© 2014 Mindscape Jennifer Touma

Moment of Impact: Three Key Characteristics of Successful Self-Directed Leaders

Moment of Impact:  Three Key Characteristics of Successful Self-Directed Leaders

The business climate has undergone a dramatic sea change over the past two decades, making the task of leadership not only more challenging but also more exhausting. Leading people today involves dealing with the uncertainty and unpredictability fueled by less money, a do more with less culture and the always present spectre of terrorism.

Many business leaders today feel ill-equipped to handle such issues as employees made less productive due to fear, uncertain and fluctuating revenue quotas, workplace bullying and organizational downsizing. Now more than ever even the best leaders often feel disempowered both emotionally and mentally.

But every leader knows in his heart of hearts that the only point of power is the present moment and only by taking control of any leadership brand can you transform mental and emotional chaos and uncertainty into order and confidence.

Learning how to practice the principles of self-directed leadership means becoming so aware that you decide what to think and base your resulting actions on self-directed thinking rather than being swayed by the business environment, the opinion of others or a situation that is only momentary.

If you are ready to take full control of your current leadership brand and transform yourself into a more effective self-directed leader, then you need to practice these three key characteristics exhibited by successful self-directed executives.

Key #1: Achieve the Mental State of a Beginner Rather than An Expert

Learn from the wise words of Shunryu Suzuki: “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.” Practice viewing any situation with a mind that is open. Ironically, the more experienced you become, the greater your chances of getting derailed by seeming to know it all, which quickly becomes a trap. Self-directed leaders avoid living robotically in favor of achieving the mental state known in Zen Buddhism as beginner’s mind.

Key #2: Activate, Cultivate and Rely on Your Mental Strengths

When you are self-directed and aware of all things around you, you can apply those inner forces called mental strengths to carry you through difficult times. True mental strength gives you flexible rather than rigid thinking, crucial to persevering in the face of adversity and enabling you to make the most constructive decisions possible.

Key #3:  Be on the Offense Rather than Defense of Thinking

Offensive thinking involves taking charge of your mind in order to use your thought processes to find the solution, unaffected by outer circumstances or how others may be trying to influence you mentally and emotionally. The self-directed leader knows how to think through a problem and drill down to its core causes rather than blindly reacting to outside stimuli. As Price Pritchett says in “Hard Optimism”, “People’s thought processes are the most important performance factor.”

© 2014 Jennifer Touma Mindscape

Moment of Impact: Three Essential Truths About Leadership

Did you know that you can unwittingly sabotage your effectiveness by being unaware of the three essential truths that influence leadership success? Whether you are just beginning your first job in a leadership role, or have a long established record in leadership positions, you can easily move toward the best possible outcome in every situation by knowing the truths about effective leadership.

TRUTH # 1: BEING SELF-DIRECTED SUMMONS LEADERSHIP SUCCESS MORE THAN HARD WORK, NETWORKING OR RELYING ON OTHERS

There is a growing body of **evidence that indicates that somewhere between 30 and 50 percent of managers and executives fail as leaders due to their own behavioral patterns. These range from an inability to build and lead their team to problems establishing strong relationships. For the leader who has learned how to be self-directed and self-reliant, the success of their objectives is guaranteed more often. When you intentionally influence your thinking, emotions and behavior you lead your team by the example of unquestionable confidence in your abilities to

think and act decisively, strategically
take charge, lead responsibly
seek experiences and challenges rich in opportunities for personal and professional growth

TRUTH # 2: LEARNING HOW TO LEVERAGE YOUR EMOTIONS AS A MANAGER IS KEY TOWARD EMPOWERING ALL OF YOUR LEADERSHIP SKILLS.

It only takes one moment of unrestrained action, including emotional outbursts, workplace bullying or name calling, to disempower everything you have been doing to effectively build a cohesive team. By learning to recognize your “Dark-Side” traits which can emerge during stressful situations, you can also learn how to balance both your emotions and your logic to make the most of challenging situations.

Business leaders today are subject to more stresses than at any time during the past half-century. But learning to leverage emotional awareness as a leader is a vitally important skill for building goal-oriented teams, a steadily rising stream of revenue and intentional rather than unexpected outcomes to specific situations.

TRUTH #3: HAVING YOUR ACTIONS REFLECT YOUR THINKING LEADS TO CONSTRUCTIVE LEADERSHIP UNAFFECTED AND UNWEAKENED BY EXTERNAL CIRCUMSTANCES.

Have you ever personally experienced a loss of respect and interest for a manager or leader who is thinking and feeling one thing, but their actions are going in a totally opposite direction? When thoughts, emotions and actions inspired by your emotional and thinking states are misaligned, it is more likely that you and your team will become victims of circumstance and the moment rather than staying on your intended course of action. When you become a self-directed leader, it is YOU who decides what to think and how to act without being influenced by popular opinion, the emotional sway of others or by external circumstances exerting pressure

When you are self-directed, you know the best defense is to think offensively and you are in the peak zone for leadership effectiveness.

Take heart if you have been feeling more bewildered, pressured and uncertain during these high-pressure times when everything is moving at high-velocity. When you know how the truths outlined above affect your leadership effectiveness, you can learn to perfect your leadership skills.

©2014 Jennifer Touma Mindscape

*Source: Richard Hughes, Robert C. Ginnett, and Gordon J. Curphy Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience, 5th ed.  (McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2006), 170, 215.