Joe Farcht asked:
What does outrageous success look like to you? It means your wildest dreams coming true doesn’t it? Lots of money, your dream home. Maybe owning an expensive, super-fast car, traveling to exotic places, or getting the absolute best schooling for your kids. And of course, along with all these great possessions and experiences would come immense happiness, joy, and pleasure. Wow – who wouldn’t want that type of life!
Outrageous success is possible for everyone. In fact, it is your birth-right, a gift from the Universe, waiting to be received. So why don’t you have this outrageous success today?
Revealed here – in order of their importance – are the 10 secret leadership skills absolutely necessary to creating outrageous success. If you can honestly evaluate how well you implement each of these skills, and take steps to improve the most critical areas, you will be well on your way to creating outrageous success!
1. Master and Manage Thoughts: The absolute most important leadership skill is mastering and managing your thoughts. Everything you do, every outcome you experience, every result you have achieved began with a thought. Consistent thought creates your attitudes. Attitudes are tremendously powerful. The life you have now was created by the attitudes you currently hold. If you’re not experiencing the life of your dreams, you must change your attitude. And the way to change your attitude is to change your thoughts. Train yourself to have only the most positive and effective thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes. Once you master your thoughts, you will have mastered your life.
2. Use Time Wisely: The second most important skill to master is the effective and productive use of time. Time is a gift, given to all of us in equal measure. You are responsible for carefully managing it. Unfortunately, most of us grow up learning bad time management skills. We acquire time wasting habits and inefficient ways of working and living. If you want to create outrageous success, learn and implement effective and productive use of your time.
3. Create Life Guiding Statements: Life guiding statements include knowing who you are, your vision for the future, your purpose for living, your values, and your dreams and written goals. Most people spend more time planning vacations than they do planning these powerful parts of their life. Developing and refining these life guiding statements provide powerful direction and guidance for your work and life. With them you can say YES to the things that help you in your journey and NO to the distractions that will prevent you from creating outrageous success.
4. Accountability: Are you a living victim? Do you believe other people, events or circumstances force you to do the things you do? Nothing could be further from the truth! What you experience today is a result of the choices you made in the past. What you experience tomorrow is a result of the choices you make today. Ignoring, procrastinating, or choosing poorly are all choices. They will either propel you toward outrageous success or place impossible barriers in your way.
5. Knowledge and Wisdom: Lack of knowledge is the root of all harm. It is the force that will completely block you from experiencing outrageous success. With the resources available to all of us today, there is no excuse for not acquiring the knowledge you need to reach your goals. Here’s a tip. Read 30 minutes a day on a subject you enjoy. After six months, you will be an expert in that subject. Pursuing knowledge and seeking wisdom will bring you outrageous success.
6. Living / Working for a Worthy Cause: Every highly successful person I know championed a worthy cause in lifetimes. For example:
• Eleanor Roosevelt dedicated her life to her President husband. After his death, she worked for human rights and women’s causes.
• Mary Kay dedicated herself to uplifting women’s self-esteem by giving them opportunities to learn, work, and earn an income.
• Oprah Winfrey is currently championing the education of girls in Africa among many other worthy human endeavors.
Dedicating yourself to a cause that uplifts others is key to unlocking outrageous success.
7. Living in The Moment: How much time do you spend thinking about the past, daydreaming of the future, watching meaningless TV or playing mindless games? That is not the way to make the best use of each moment in your life. Concentrating on what you are doing in each moment creates positive outcomes and gives you the greatest results, happiness, and joy.
8. Communication: You cannot create outrageous success alone. You must work with and through others. And to work with others means you must communicate with them. Becoming a master communicator is essential. There are many different ways we communicate: verbally, through body language, delegating, inspiring, persuading, and asking questions. There are many different methods we use to communicate: e-mail, face-to-face, blogs, telephone, writing. Each of these mediums requires different communication skills. To create outrageous success, make it your goal to master communication in all these mediums.
9. Work / Life Balance and Health: Working long hours will eventually cause disease, exhaustion, and dysfunction. I once worked with a manager who committed to getting a balanced life – but not until he retired in two years! Others I know have realized the value of a balanced life only after a heart attack or a stroke. Why are you waiting? There are eight areas of life I recommend balancing: Family, Spiritual, Health, Physical, Educational, Career, Financial, and Social. Every month for a year, set one small goal to increase your satisfaction in one of those areas. In a year’s time, you will be a happier individual.
10. Love and Gratitude: One fact is indisputable. Love is the most powerful force in the Universe. When you are filled with love, your experiences with people and the world around you will be overwhelmingly positive. When you are filled with fear, distraction, ignorance, or a victim mentality, the flow of love is blocked. It is critical to see the world and everyone in it through the eyes of love. Another feeling you must develop is gratitude. Make a list of everything you are grateful for: the people you work and live with, and everything in your world. You will be amazed at the change it makes in your work and life.
Developing these ten leadership skills are the secrets to unlocking your unlimited potential and greatness. Seek the help you need and build the skills necessary to create the outrageous success and future you imagine. Only you can make the journey. People and information can help you but they can’t do it for you. Step out and claim your outrageous inheritance!