Alter Your Outlook: Is Your Mindset Diminishing Your Success as a Leader?

Contributed by Natalie Runyon

A recent Forbes article indicated that the perception of power—more so than gender—may have to do with women’s challenges with negotiation. And while this may be true, it does not change the outcome—we see little female influence at the top ranks of organizations. The mind is powerful and shapes our interpretations of events and experiences in the workplace. When driven by fear, it can overwhelm us with a constant dialogue of self-criticism. In a state of constant mental negativity, our leadership, influence, and confidence are undermined. Indeed, changing our mindset from negative to positive can literally change our perspective and enable greater leadership performance, influence, and advancement.

Could it really be that simple? In my experience, simple, yes; easy, no.

As a leadership coach to women, I deal with these challenges every day. Here’s how I advise my clients to alter their outlook.

Disarm the inner critic. It is amazing to me how from one day to the next my excitement as an entrepreneur can ebb and flow. On one day, I am excited about new possibilities, and the very next day, I am unable to move forward because I am paralyzed with fear. The inner critic—you know, the one driven by fear of not being good enough or fear of failure—dominates my thoughts. On the days when I am enthusiastic, I see opportunities everywhere, and my attention to the inner critic is almost zero. So when the inner critic is in overdrive how do you shut it off?

First, you must increase your awareness of what is behind the fear. Ask yourself, ‘what am I scared of?’ Once you are aware of it, then you have the opportunity to make the choice on whether or not you will listen to it. Additionally, ask yourself what triggered the fear? How true is the fear? Answering these questions enables you to analyze how unrealistic the fear actually is. Then, you have a choice on whether or not to disregard it. A good way of addressing this choice is to say to yourself, “DELETE!” to get rid of the negative thought. By doing this, you are choosing not to give that negative thought power. After all, it is a thought that just comes and goes. Another tactic is to simply accept the inner critic is there and reframe it. How can the fear be viewed as an opportunity to grow? To learn? Acknowledging the inner critic rather than suppressing it disarms it.

Sometimes, however, the negative voice can linger because of a deep-seated fear. The best way to silence it is to look at the worst case scenario. For example, a client’s lingering fear of failure prevented her from pursuing her dream as an entrepreneur. Her unhealthy fear was driven by a lot of financial insecurity. To cripple the power of her fear, we together confronted the worst case scenario. For her, it was not being able to generate an income to support her family. Once she challenged the worst case objectively with support, however, she discovered the power she was permitting it to have over her. While she did not like it, she knew she could bounce back and be okay if it happened.

Invest in Yourself. Research shows substantial benefits in strengthening personal resilience, like maintaining consistent high performance and avoiding burn-out. Everyone has different preferences for what they do to re-fuel. Meditation, yoga, sleep, relaxation, and exercise are all excellent ways. Consistently commit time for your self care. The inner critic is surprisingly less active on the days that I have made investments in my own personal resilience. I am able to lead better because I have greater self-awareness. Increased self-awareness enables me to dedicate more energy to my audience. Increased focus on my audience results in being more in tune with their needs, garnering greater influence.

Act Your Way into a New Way of Thinking. You can also shift your perception by defining what success looks like for you and acting as if you are already successful. Creating the picture of your ideal outcome enables you to visualize yourself achieving it. Step into the vision by dressing and acting the part. Doing this trains your mind to see yourself living it–because you are. It sounds so simple, and it is.

The challenge is the daily diligence in choosing to live this reality. For example, when I first started out as an entrepreneur, I defined what a successful entrepreneur was for me and made choices as if I already was. Looking at myself from this lens kept my fears at bay and my perception focused on serving my clients. It manifested positive performance, and created realism in my experience of success. I was more effective at influencing outcomes with my clients. Positive thinking reinforces positive perceptions, which produces more favorable outcomes–it’s a multiplier effect.

Natalie Runyon is a executive leadership trainer and coach for executive women at The Wall Street Coach and CSO Leadership Training.