The Leadership Mind

What Does Your Cell Phone Say to You?

Is it sinful that I have my iPhone 4S refer to me as

“The Amazing & Rockin’ Deb Ingino”? 

I figured if I’m paying, it’s talking nice!

I am enjoying my new iPhone.  I am absolutely amazed at the technology I can hold in the palm of my hand and how it helps me get so much done.  But you know, even the best of Steve Jobs’ inventions doesn’t compare to the one computer that’s been working in my head for decades now.  Every breath I take, every step I make, every single thing I do starts right there in my central command center.  So do you think this little organ is important?  You’d better believe it.

This week, let’s talk about the Leadership of the Mind. If you know about DISC assessments, whether you are a D.I.S.or C. , the same is true for each of us.

How does an effective leader think?  Is he or she thinking about the negative or the positive, problems or solutions, gossip or ideas?   We’ve all met people who enter a room like a wet blanket – negative, complaining, gossiping, and blaming others for their lack of success.  Contrast that with someone who enters a room bringing positivity, solutions, and fresh ideas.  Which person would you consider to be a leader?  Which would you prefer to work with on a project?  And now, the hard question:  Which one are YOU?

So how can we develop the mind of a leader?

Strain Your Brain –  Back in the mid-1800’s, there was a mad rush to California.  Why?  Because someone had discovered GOLD.  Suddenly, countless Americans headed west, strainers in hand, to capture their share of the treasure.  They spent hours and hours, day after day, digging in the mud and straining through the sludge to find those rare gold nuggets.

These days, our minds are bombarded constantly with a sludge of bad news, criticism, and just too much useless information.  To be effective, we must strain out the bad and get to the gold!  Have you ever had one of those days that just doesn’t feel right?  I have.  And I have been able, very often, to trace it back to just one seemingly insignificant negative thought or action that I neglected to address at the onset. 

We will never be rich in spirit

if we hold onto the negative and the useless. 

Let it go and find the gold!

Train Your Brain. – Most of us know someone who has been verbally abused.  They are easy to spot – heads down, sad eyes, insecure, and fearful.  It is heartbreaking to see such a “beaten down” soul.  But worse than that is a person who verbally abuses himself.  That person can never escape from the abuser.  If you find yourself engaging in this habit – and we all do to some degree – STOP immediately.  You see, what you tell yourself, you actually start to believe.  What if you made a list of all the negative things you said to yourself each day and then went home and said those things to your children?  Would they be devastated?  Would you be arrested?  We have to stop this cycle.  Just as I trained my iPhone to say nice things to me, you need to train your inner phone to say nice things to you.  I recently posted this video that perfectly illustrates this principle.  It is powerful.

Drain your Brain –  You have this amazing battery between your ears – use it!  Learn all you can so you can do all you should.  And then, when the battery runs down, take the time to recharge.  Figure out those things that bring you energy, and purposely engage in them when your battery runs low.  Perhaps a hike in the woods will recharge you, a walk on the beach, a trip to your favorite coffee shop, or spending time with a good friend.  Each person has those special things – know them and plug into them when you need to.  A good leader does this.  If you notice, a leader will give it everything he has and then will go away, alone, to recharge so he can then give more.  People who don’t take time to complete this cycle will not be effective.  For me, I can only go so long at full speed.  And though it is longer than most, I still have to take time to balance.  To that end, I enjoy a nice dinner out with my husband regularly.  And I love spending time with my daughter.  They give me the boost I need to go back out in the world and give more.

It’s been said that

weak minds talk about people,

mediocre minds talk about things,

and great minds talk about ideas.  

This week, actively engage that great mind of yours!