“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

Ambitious leaders have an entrepreneurial mindset. They can think better in challenging situations. They are decisive, they have emotional awareness and they accept changes for better outcomes. They have a constant need to improve the skills they learn from mistakes and take continuous action on new ideas. In today’s highly changing work environment, who would not like to work with a leader like them and even become one?

These are three key assumptions that leaders need to take on today to keep pace with change and their own ambitions.

1. Think beyond the possibilities:

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the aeroplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” – Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company.

Continuous progress is not a smooth road through creating new habits. It needs the readiness of making difficult decisions at the right times. It’s the ability to control the emotions that come along with difficult decisions. In that way, a leader creates a positive ground to push through the possibilities. When technological changes are obvious, restructuring is normal and disruptions are new disciplines for the business, a leader also needs to be at the same pace as the fastest changes, because being slower may cost a lot – both opportunity and money. When a leader’s mind is ready to accept the challenge, they automatically program their mind to see the possibilities. They are far more comfortable with any discomfort as they have chosen the challenge, not given or imposed. This mental readiness provides the leader with the drive against all the odds to reach their goals regardless.

2. Innovation challenges the current practices:

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.” – Steve Jobs

The business environment today demands that leaders be innovative. Innovation starts from curiosity. When curiosity is converted into creativity, innovation occurs. In life, we also need to be innovative if we want to challenge the current practices and want to grow. Being innovative means being open to new ideas, new learnings, experimenting with new ways and adapting to the changes. By learning how to teach the mind to be innovative, it is like taking a road of positive changes. Once a leader knows how our mind works, they can lead an idea into an innovation, interest into implementation, and curiosity into creativity. Innovation is the tool that jumps over time. Innovating new ideas can help a business or career to jump forward with additional prospects of growth and success. 

3. Deep motivation drives extra miles:

“The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new.” – Socrates 

Leaders who are big picture-oriented are not motivated by instant pleasures. They are not convinced of anything without consistency. They even would prefer to delay receiving gratitude to get long term recognition. They stay motivated for the long term to expand their success in multiple dimensions. They run a marathon rather than running a sprint. They do not hesitate to learn from failure, are not ashamed of setbacks and are not afraid to change direction or reset it. But one thing is for sure – they never give up. They know how and when to recharge themselves. They consciously choose the people to be around. They are upfront to say no to those who drain their energy. There is hardly any ambitious leader we can find who doesn’t have an energy routine. They know how important it is for them to keep up with their physical, mental and spiritual well-being. That’s how they manage their quality of thinking and maintain a healthy mind.

An ambitious wolf will rise above a complacent lion. – Matshona Dhliwayo

In a nutshell…

Starting your own business, taking over a new role, or leading a new team are all exciting, rewarding and positive energetic things for an ambitious leader. Doing something new and bigger is always fearful to the mind; it takes more energy, effort and intense time. When the mind takes on new challenges, it starts comparing the present with the past self or others which often causes self-doubt and anxiety. These are all normal. This is how the body chemically gets ready to accept new challenges.

 As ambitious leaders, we must know the science behind the function of the mind. That way, we will develop the capacity to help ourselves and others, not simply manage our minds. Owning control over our minds also positively impacts the way we invest our time and energy.

Ambition is when YOU close the gap between your circumstances and your expectations. – James Clear

At the change, play the long term ambition game.

• Pick your ambition which will give more value as you grow older.
• Stop overestimating the short-term outcomes or underestimating the long term outcomes.
• Ignore the tendency of a big jump, it may give you a feel-good moment, but it does not build trust within you or others.
• Develop trust by taking small actions consistently. It will always drive you towards your ambition.

Onwards,

Ayesha

(Book your spot for Mindspeed Masterclass 2021)

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