Why Does Fear Lead to Failure?

While touring the States doing TV and radio interviews recently, I had the chance to listen to the story of a once very successful business in Connecticut which was announcing the layoff of 475 workers. What had gone wrong?

The CEO was interviewed and he said that their business started hitting bad times 4 years ago and their strategy was to cut, reduce and eliminate expenditures since then. He went on to say that they had been trying to avoid these layoffs for sometime but they no longer could.

He had excuses as to why this had to happen, including blaming the economy. The way he recounted the past, he made the company and the employees all victims of circumstance.

In other interviews, I saw the despair of some of the workers that were losing their jobs. They talked about events and circumstances as well as their fears of this happening. It was obvious that they never made any connection to their thoughts, feelings and actions and what they were seeing in their outer world.

Never once during all the newscasts, interviews and subsequent articles did I ever hear or read about the creative measures that the company took to turn the business around. Instead everyone from the CEO on down continues to focus on lack, limitation and outside influences as the basis of their problems. The responses to their creation are tactics that are killing the business.

People in this company, including the CEO, showed their ignorance of the law of sowing and reaping; also known as the law of cause and effect. It is absolutely impossible to create a healthy, wealthy, thriving business while holding thoughts of worry and doubt; feeling fearful and full of anxiety and taking destructive actions. Whatever we think in our minds must grow.

The condition is the effect that we see; it is not the true cause that we see. One must dig down deep into their mental storehouse to find out what is that cause. If they cannot discern it, there are others who can. Now I have no doubt that there were people that supported the actions that the CEO took; so therefore it is critical to look at the results of any advisor. If you are going to follow someone, make certain that they are achieving great results.

This business is not where it is today because of outside conditions. This CEO programmed the company for failure by the very actions he took based on the wrong thinking. The very things he feared are what he has created and he will continue to do so until he changes his vision.

There are many people who live and die and never know anything different from what has been handed down to them. However once you change your vision, you will change conditions. Only when we cease to recognize a condition do we cease to attract or create it. The only way we can cease to recognize things is to change our minds about them.

There are 3 enemies which must be cleared out in order to achieve success in any endeavor. These are fear, worry/doubt and indecision. They always go together. If a person is timid, backward or fearful, fear will act as a brake to retard their progress. Fear is main cause of failures; it cannot be eliminated by either drugs or a surgeon's knife. The only remedy known for fear is understanding. This requires a commitment to studying and applying what is learned. It definitely requires getting out of the comfort zone - to stop doing the same old things that aren't working.

Indecision is the seed of fear. Indecision turns into doubt. The two blended together become fear. This blending process is often slow, which is the main reason why these 3 enemies are so dangerous. They are insidious and grow without their presence even being noticed. Many times people fool themselves to think that they are being cautious when they are actually breeding fear.

Fears are nothing more than a state of mind. One's state of mind will set the course and direction of their future. Doubts and fears about the future are pointless, but even worse; they will create an unwanted future.

Conversely, success is predicated on bringing one's self and actions to a higher standard. When the heart is right, the head thinks right. The fact that someone desires to succeed is evidence that they have the power to succeed; otherwise they would not have been urged to aspire towards success. Understand that you cannot aspire to succeed unless you have the power to succeed. Desire creates the power; power inspires the mind of the person, and success is the result of that inspiration rightly applied.

Success then is the way we learn to use 2 valuable things - our time and thought. Knowledge alone is not success; it is the way we use that knowledge...

by: Susan Bagyura

Ismael D. Tabije

Publisher

What Makes a Leader Great ?

You may have heard that great leaders are made, not born. You may know a great leader when you see one, but have you really thought about what constitutes somebody who has a potential to be one?

A Great Leader Is Not

1) Made through position or connections. Being in a leadership position or knowing great people does not make you a great leader.

2) Appearance in dress or manner. Five stars on a uniform does not make one. Nor does standing tall or talking proudly.

3) Made through intimidation or fear.

4) Made through unjust or unrighteous causes. A leader may possess nearly all the qualities of greatness, but if lacking in the ability to discriminate high value from low value, this sort of leader is the worst of all kinds.

A Great Leader Is

1) Made through investigating themselves thoroughly. All famous leaders from the past have a hunger to know themselves and engage in deep introspection.

2) Made through conscious control of emotions. Because they know themselves so well, they have fortified their mind from external forces, to the point where they choose what influences them.

3) Aware of objective reality and striving to gain knowledge from as many sources as possible to develop an accurate perspective.

4) Not easily intimidated by the powerful. Leaders get their power from within, no source shines brighter than what is inside.

5) Centered in spite of extreme pressure. Balance allows great leaders to make effective decisions; great decisions are the product of great leadership.

6) Severe in demanding more of themselves than they would demand of others. Personal discipline is built in to great leadership.

7) Unique in that they are both confident and humble. Confident in their cause and humble in their ownership over the Ego.

You will notice that qualities such as leading millions of people or winning a war are not qualities of great leadership. Circumstance or outcomes do not necessarily define a great leader. The qualities of a leader are what matter most. If any individual possesses these qualities, great leadership will emerge; whether on a local or world stage.

Chance dictates that some poor leaders will emerge victorious and some will fail, but great leadership overcomes great odds and thats the point. Failure does not define a great leader, leaders approach and response to adversity defines greatness.

A position of great leadership is not given but rather it is earned. A person possessing qualities that others admire in themselves and earn the position of great leadership if for no other reason, one hopes that by being in the presence of a good leader the secret to power over oneself will be revealed.

Full Potential Action Steps:

A) Do you have what it takes to be a great leader, why or why not?

B) Are you willing to do what it takes to be a great leader?

C) How well do you know yourself? (Rate on a 1- 10)

D) Are you willing to open your mind and seek out many sources of conflicting information to gain an accurate perspective?

E) What will it take for you to become a great leader? What will you have to do? What will you have to give up doing?


by: BMA Editorial Team 3

Ismael D. Tabije

Publisher

What Does It Take to Become a Leader?

Many people think that you are simply born a leader however this could not be further from the truth. Each and every one of us has the skills to lead, however we seldom put ourselves forward or find ourselves in situations when we have to take this sort of responsibility.

Of course there are certain skills you need to be a leader and each of them are more suited to certain people than others. However to become a great leader it is about having that burning desire to want to improve and hone all the necessary skills. The following therefore is a list of the traits needed to be a good leader.

Communication

This is a vital component. A good leader needs to be able to communicate ideas effectively and to great understanding. You may be excellent at building strategic plans but without having the skills to communicate them effectively you will always fall short.

Decisiveness

A strong leader needs to be able to make decisions based on logical reasoning when under pressure. In times of need people will look to you and a split second of doubt or appearing visibly distressed can undo years of hard work building trust.

Listening Skills

Listening skills is important in most parts of life. As a leader you should have the ability to pay attention and understand people and this includes taking on board criticism.

Prioritisation

What task needs doing first? You need to be able to prioritise tasks based on what you think is most important. Without good prioritisation the task at hand can be doomed to failure before it even begins.

Self-Control

The ability to keep your emotions under control is vital. You will have to deal with many different people and situations, a lot of which will most likely put you out of your comfort zone. It is important therefore that you keep calm and collected at all times.

Self confidence

Being self-confident goes a long way. If you appear fully confident then it will rub off on your team making any task a lot easier to accomplish. A certain amount of self-confidence also helps you to assert yourself when the time comes.

Pro Active

As a leader it is your duty to keep your team on their toes. Taking a back seat or being lazy creates complacency therefore it is important you take a pro-active approach.

Good at Planning

Simply knowing what needs to be achieved is not enough. To be a good leader you need to be able to create a plan of action that will work to achieve the end goal. A poor plan will scupper the chances for success and so this skill is vital.

Have Respect for Others

You may be in a position of power as a leader but your team will not willing follow you if you have no respect for others. Respect goes a long way and the best way to earn it is by respecting others.

Build Trust

Trust is a fragile but the most important aspect. Without trust you will never be a god leader. By improving some of the factors listed above it should go a long way to helping build trust quickly.

The beauty of all the aspects listed is that you can easily be trained to improve. There are many courses that can help you improve your leadership skills including numerous aspects not mentioned here.

The great thing about taking the decision to improve is that what you learn can be applied to all walks of life. So remember, we all have it in us to be a leader it's just about bringing out those qualities...

by: BMA Editorial Team 3

Ismael D. Tabije

Publisher

Leadership Transcends Leaders

As much as the concept of leadership can spark a debate as to who are good leaders and who are bad leaders, the essence of the debate rarely touches on an often overlooked, seldom mentioned, but critical component of the dialogue. Though personality, skill, style and circumstances are the most frequently researched elements, it is interesting to note that the ‘mindset' of a leader has only begun to inch its way into mainstream recognition.

The notion of mindset has little to do with high or medium intelligence, street smarts, political aptitude or business cunning. These are all by products of the greater positioning of a thought process that moves beyond established boundaries and into a realm in which the product or service transcends the existence of the leader. This ‘transcendent leadership' mindset represents more than a leader making a contribution, which satisfies many of the short term requirements for living, but is fueled by the idea of making a difference, which addresses the long term requirements for advancing humankind.

While research in this area has just started to emerge, the concept is not without working models in which to analyze and stimulate the thinking for future leadership development activities. The framers of the United States Constitution were clearly well-schooled, committed scholars and fighters who, individually, understood the importance of braking from the restrictive practices of an established government. The numerous biographies written about these men are woven around a common thread of dissatisfaction with the status quo and the recognition that something needed to change.

As individual leaders, the effectiveness of their styles have been picked at and picked on through a series of scholarly reviews of their writings and actions from that era. However, collectively, the framers were a perfect example of the transcendent leadership mindset. They knew that what they were creating would be something that would outlast and transcend their existence. The long term effect would be for future generations to enjoy the benefits of a country in which individual freedom would be more important that governmental restrictions. As the last signer of the constitution faded into oblivion, he had to take some delight in knowing that many of their names would not be known among 21st century school children, but they would truly feel the impact.

Walt Disney understood something about the nature of human beings that went beyond the classic debate as to whether man is good or evil. As a cartoonist and creator of ‘basic-values based' entertainment, it must have dawned on him that man's good or evil is rooted in being ‘playful' and if given the opportunity to play, we will. The thought process that went into the formation of Disneyland is indicative of a ‘transcendent leadership mindset'. While there were competing studios that managed to grind out a slew of characters designed to entertain the short term requirements of their audience, Disney saw beyond the silver screen and into the long term access to playfulness that would draw generation after generation to the Magic Kingdom.

A transcendent leader connects today with tomorrow by looking past the inner drive that anchors personal behavior and ego-centric limitations and focuses on how any organization can move beyond just meeting its goals. Having the ability and fortitude to take something that is static and make it dynamic, to elevate behavior to the next level of interaction and to position the mind to think as a ‘difference maker' are only a few of the known qualities that are gleaned from the models established by the Founding Fathers, Disney and others.

There are overlapping qualities from other models that also serve the mindset of a transcendent leader. Clearly the ability to formulate a vision that moves an organization to think beyond its bottom line is an important piece to this mindset model. We have thousands of examples of how to transact and transform organizations, but those organizations that are rooted in a transcendent leadership mindset are, understandably, few and far between...


by: Lee Meadows

Ismael D. Tabije

Publisher