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The formula for success in these fast-changing and quite strange times is actually not that complex. It only takes a couple of elements to become a better leader and achieve success more efficiently. The issue is that in order to successfully implement the formula, you need to become a new version of yourself where you let go of certain habits, beliefs, and mindsets that helped you in the past, but maybe don’t anymore.
The formula to success only consists of a couple of steps. First, I want you to think about what you really want in your work life, as well as in your private life. Then once you have decided on that, put an action in place, as well as some (new) habits, in order to achieve that desired result. Once you have done that, it’s time to let go and watch how things unfold. If you get the results you want, good job! Keep doing what you are doing! However, it takes falling down and getting back up to make progress, so if you fall down and don’t get the results you want, don’t worry. Take a step back and stop. Take the time to increase your energy, see that result as feedback and then manage your mindset and your beliefs. Now go back to step one: think about the results you want to achieve, put new actions and habits in place, and so on and so on. Success is not a state, it’s a journey that takes a lot of trial and error and a lot of falling down and getting back up. Most successful people were not successful immediately. They were losers that didn’t give up until they had become winners.
Unfortunately, a lot of people (myself included) make mistakes when implementing this formula in their lives. From my experience, I have identified eight mistakes I will share with you.
The first mistake that many leaders make, is that they don’t know what they really want. They just don’t think about what they want to achieve. They just end up reacting to all the requests, dues, and opportunities and try to deliver it all, instead of really focussing on what they want. This often leads to a lack of meaning, which can make them feel unsatisfied or even burned out.
The second mistake I see a lot is that people don’t think enough in terms of habits and too much in terms of actions. But what I have noticed over the years, is that successful people don’t necessarily put in a lot of actions that cost a lot of energy. Rather, they create habits that greatly help them towards reaching their goal. And the thing about habits is that once they have been ingrained in your system, they barely cost you any energy, as they are habits. So instead of thinking in terms of actions, when you are faced with a challenge, ask yourself the question: what habit could I adopt that would greatly improve my path to that desired outcome?
Another thing I see many people struggling with is letting go. If you have used certain methodologies to achieve certain types of goals, and you notice that suddenly, these methodologies don’t work anymore, it can be quite upsetting. However, change is part of life. Instead of trying to fix the issue and make it work the way it used to work, let go of it. Accept the fact that the world is changing at a very fast pace and you need to adapt as well. So let go if you are not able to immediately deliver the result you’d like and focus on getting your energy back.
The fourth mistake is a big one. As kids, we were taught at school that not delivering is bad and making mistakes is something you should avoid at all costs. However, making mistakes is only part of the learning process. So if you see this failure as a failure instead of simply seeing it as feedback, it will cost you a lot of energy and might lead you to give up or quit.
This one is also linked to not getting the results you wanted. I see that many leaders become very hard on themselves when they don’t reach their wanted results. That might lead them to think they are stupid or they could become impatient and blame others, which will only make things worse. So don’t be too hard on yourself when getting back an undesired outcome. Take the time to stop, think about what you really want, then adopt habits to help you reach that result and keep going!
The sixth mistake is that leaders forget to stop. Especially when working remotely, challenges are fired at us from all sides. It is quite easy to drown in requests and dues and feel overworked. So when you are faced with an undesired result, instead of trying to fix it as fast as possible to keep on delivering, take the time to retreat and think about your habits and mindset. Not stopping is the biggest trap that leads to failure and burnout.
The seventh mistake many people make, is that they forget to manage their energy. If you don’t increase your energy, it can be hard to pick yourself up again and try to change your habits and mindset to overcome a certain challenge. But increasing your energy is incredibly important because if you don’t, you will resist change, you won’t be able to learn new skills and you won’t be able to adapt to this fast-changing world.
The last thing many people fail to see when facing change and failure is the influence of their mindset and beliefs on that failure. People can get into a vicious circle where they put actions in place and don’t get the result they want, so they try to fix it by taking new actions and so they are busy all the time. But if they took the time to think and change their mindset, new actions could be uncovered that they weren’t able to see before!
Because this is a cycle. Something is clear, and then it doesn’t anymore. And maybe it’s because your needs have changed, the market has changed, some things have changed. And so you have to think again about what you want to achieve. What is it that you really would like to achieve? What would be the ideal outcome for you? And then what action could you put in place? Or what habits should you adopt to reach your desired outcome?
This formula is pretty simple but takes a lot of time to master. It is also important to understand that this formula is not a one-time process, but an iterative process. After finishing these steps, it is of utmost importance that you review the process and remake the steps to refine your path to success. So after every step, take a step back to think about what you really want, what habits you should adopt to achieve that, and how you should adapt your mindset in order to accomplish that goal.
If you want some help to master this formula, be sure to check out our program Leading Authentically in Digital Times or our free masterclass in the links below! See you in the next episode!