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A Battle for the Mind

Guest post by: Douglas Long

Article Overview: Almost every person is born with virtually unlimited potential in terms of their ability to develop. Not everyone can be (or wants to be) an elite athlete or a Nobel Prize winner, but almost anyone can mature to be the person that he or she wants to be. The problem is that, in many cases, this maturing is negatively impacted by our self-talk. And much self talk arises out of feedback we experience. Third Generation Leadership operates in a different mind space.

A Battle for the Mind



“If you believe you can,

or

if you believe you can’t …

Either way you are right!”

I came across this quotation recently and thought it warranted further consideration.

It is, of course, very true.

Almost every person is born with virtually unlimited potential in terms of their ability to develop. Not everyone can be (or wants to be) an elite athlete or a Nobel Prize winner, but almost anyone can mature to be the person that he or she wants to be. The problem is that, in many cases, this maturing is negatively impacted by our self-talk. And much self talk arises out of feedback we experience.

Unfortunately many of us have learned disappointment and failure. Growing up our parents, teachers, and other important influences told us “you can’t do that” – and too often punished us when we tried! At work we were told “it’s not your role to think. Just do as I tell you!” And so our attempts to be creative or to innovate were crushed and we learned not to try. Even when we knew processes and results could be improved, we learned to say nothing and to “fit in” if we wanted to get on or even just wanted to remain employed.

While it is true that, ultimately, each of us is responsible for the choices and decisions we make and it is equally true that we each have a significant impact on whether or not we achieve whatever it is we consider “success”, it is also true that the type of leadership we have received and the type of leadership we provide has a very real impact – either positively or negatively.

First Generation Leadership and Second Generation Leadership were pretty comfortable with followers experiencing learned helplessness. Where the emphasis was on compliance or conformance it was disconcerting and a threat to have followers who were thinking for themselves – after all, they might challenge the status quo and that could affect me.

Third Generation Leadership operates in a different mind space.

A Third Generation Leader wants people to think and to question. A Third Generation Leader knows that peak performance of an individual, a unit, or an organisation is only possible when everyone is fully engaged with their tasks and those around them. A Third Generation Leader knows that he or she doesn’t have all the answers – and, in fact, may not have many answers at all. But a Third Generation Leader knows that time and again the answers to problems and issues encountered are to be found in the collective wisdom and thinking of everyone involved. In order to harness this collective wisdom, a Third Generation Leader knows that it is essential to create an environment in which the battle for the mind is won by “I believe I can”.

And that requires a different sort of feedback and lots of encouragement.

As the quote with which I started this article makes clear, it is our mind that determines what we can or can’t achieve. Unfortunately, sometimes we are not really the person in control of our minds.

A few years ago I was coaching a woman who was aged in her late 40’s. She was professionally qualified and held a senior position in a large organisation. During a session towards the end of the coaching program she suddenly paused, looked down for a moment, and then looked me straight in the eye. “I’ve suddenly realised,” she said, “for my whole life I’ve always done what others wanted for me. I’ve never come to grips with ‘being me’.” From that moment on, her life changed. She had realised that she could do what she wanted; that she could think how she wanted to think. From that moment she became free and could develop her full potential.

If you want your organisation to achieve peak performance, then create an environment in which the energies of your people can be fully harnessed. Help them shift their mind sets from “I can’t” to “I can”. Help them win their battle for their mind.

That’s what a Third Generation Leader does – and there’s a lot more information about the “how” to do this, in other of my articles on Evan Carmichael.

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Article Tags: Blue Zone, Employee Engagement, Learned Helplessness, Peak Performance, Personal Development, Third Generation Leadership



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