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How to Create a High Performance Business Mindset Through Ancient Stoic Philosophy

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Let’s cut to the chase. How many more articles need to be written about having a bulletproof mindset, blind beliefs, core values, and positive thinking before we realize this information is completely useless…?

Now before the swarm of an uprising mutiny forms within the behavioral psychology and mindfulness groups, we must quickly clarify this message. This knowledge is completely useless… WITHOUT application. 

Very Little Has Changed Over a Thousand Years

As Aristotle wrote, “We are what we repeatedly do, therefore excellence is not an act, but a habit.” The word “Arete” is Greek for excellence, and is used to describe the status and/or accomplishment of an individual or group of individuals who achieve a high standard of achievement.  At the end of the day when everything is said and done, are you able to consistently walk away from a day at work and say you truly achieved excellence? More importantly, what does excellence actually look like? 

It’s easy to say excellence is a relative word, as excellence could mean multiple things to many different people. For a parent, it could mean they were able to get their kids up for school, finish their homework, and get them to eat dinner together. For an artist, it could equate to getting into that flow state of mind to finish up a project and send it off for publishing. As a business executive, it could mean you were able to finally accomplish and finish the to-do list that has taken you months to get your team together to work on. The list could go on… 

So as a working business executive, what does excellence mean to you? In the end, it really doesn’t matter, because the moral of the story is excellence isn’t a destination, it’s a process and repeated set of habits that serve your bottom line over time. 

To truly excel at a task or role, one must create intentional daily habits and systems that take us closer to the end goal, whether it be a project deadline, writing copy for a marketing campaign, or having a difficult conversation with a coworker about a workplace problem. Our daily habits will always dictate our long term outcomes, which is why so many people struggle with changing bad habits to good habits, as our bad habits usually show their ugly head weeks and months down the road. If you aren’t intentionally taking steps to move your career forward, you may end up quite surprised to see where you find yourself in the end. 

To Understand Business, We Must Understand The Brain

With that being said, one of the biggest difficulties with changing someone’s habits comes down to how we are inherently wired as humans. When it comes down to it, our brain hasn’t changed much for thousands of years since we split away from our close primate cousins. In the end, we still possess a near 40,000-year-old brain that is trying to exist in the 21st-century business world full of distractions, stressors, and newly developed technology that has vastly outpaced the speed of our brain’s own evolution. 

Don’t get too concerned, because this isn’t inherently a bad thing, as it allows us a unique opportunity to go back to our roots to understand how we will behave when placed into new environments and situations. 

This information is vital because it supports our use of these timeless principles from the Greek and Roman Stoics and allows us to apply them to real-world situations we are currently challenged with today. 

Your Mental Mindset is Your Future Roadmap To Business Success 

Thus, we need to realize the importance of our mindset during these unprecedented times, because it’s safe to say this is not the first, nor the last time we as a society endure a pandemic, economic crash, or cultural shift as a result of some unforeseen circumstances on this amazing planet we call home. 

The only way to actually endure and own these uncertain situations is through owning your mindset, which the Stoics believed was the most important thing a man or woman could possess. Your mindset is the ONLY thing you can truly control, which is why it is so vital for us to own our mindset and use it to create intentional habits of success during this period of uncertainty… Because if we end up becoming a victim of our environment, we will always be controlled by our environment. 

Bruce Lee, an avid student of Stoicism, said “You will continue to suffer if you have an emotional reaction to everything that is said to you. True power is sitting back and observing everything with logic. If words control you, that means everyone else can control you. Breathe and allow things to pass.” 

This is why you must always remember that your mindset is the ONE thing that you will always have control over, which is a lesson as old as time. In moments of history, we can find hope in our future and seek knowledge of the past to benefit our next challenge ahead.  

Dr. Erik Reis a high-performance consultant, executive health coach, and national speaker, with over 7 years of clinical experience working with some of the most complex neurological and metabolic conditions throughout the world. He believes the connection between optimal neurological function and physical health is essential to understanding how to fully maximize brain function and cognitive performance in the workplace, which is why SHIFT takes a multifaceted approach in working with businesses and employees to optimize workplace productivity and employee engagement. Click here to visit his website.

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Entrepreneurs

The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025

Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

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Bridging the gap between employees and employers
Image Credit: Midjourney

In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

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Entrepreneurs

What Makes an Entrepreneurial Leader? Traits of the World’s Best Innovators

Inside the mindset of entrepreneurial leaders who transform risk, passion, and vision into world-changing results.

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entrepreneurial leadership skills and traits
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When you think of Richard Branson (Virgin Group), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), Rupert Murdoch (News Corporation), and Ted Turner (CNN), one thing becomes clear: they are not just entrepreneurs, they are entrepreneurial leaders. (more…)

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Entrepreneurs

Building a Business Empire: Lessons from the World’s Boldest Entrepreneurs

Learn essential lessons, success strategies, and mindset shifts every aspiring entrepreneur needs to overcome challenges and build a thriving business.

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how to build a business empire
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Back in July 2017, I attended a business seminar on entrepreneurship in India. With my appetite for learning and meeting new people, I wanted to explore the latest developments in the entrepreneurial world. (more…)

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Change Your Mindset

Why Ideas Are More Valuable Than Resources for Entrepreneurial Success

Discover why ideas, not resources, are the true driving force behind entrepreneurial success, innovation, and lasting growth.

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Power of ideas in entrepreneurship
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History shows us that the greatest minds, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, Walt Disney, Stephen King, and countless others, faced failure early on. Yet, instead of seeing failure as the end, they treated it as a comma in their story, not a full stop. (more…)

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