Success Advice

5 Mindset Shifts Leaders Can Use To Avoid Hitting The Wall

Published

3 years ago

May 4, 2021

Bobby Barr

Image Credit: Shutterstock

It is so hard for business owners and leaders to switch off in today’s modern world. Technology and customer impatience is constantly vying for our attention at all hours of the day. Yes, we know customers are our turnover king, but there needs to be a cut-off point to our working day to avoid the dreaded burnout. Mindset shifts play a big part in our decision making.

I faced the same mindset shift challenges several years ago. I was heading a business that was all supply and demand. We supplied, and the customers demanded our immediate attention and service. It was a waste recycling business with many moving parts, at times many broken-down ones too. Because of this, we were playing catch up which caused daily problems and disruption to everyday pressures.

As leaders, our conditioned mindset has always taught us to make hay while the sun shines. Nothing about any detrimental consequences is thought of or mentioned. Leaders consider themselves to be tough cookies and resilient as core values.

Leaders Must Wear Multiple Hats

As a private company, I assumed many roles as one of the prominent leaders. I was heading sales, operations, marketing and financial budgets. In larger companies, there would have been individuals responsible for each role. Not in some private sectors, unfortunately. We needed to be agile, be able to think on our feet in an instant but constantly.

There is only so much of this constant barrage of work responsibility you can take on before it becomes overwhelming as a human being, never mind a leader. The thought of ever being tired gets airbrushed over quickly without consideration for one’s mental wellbeing. Before you know it, a jolt in proceedings comes quicker than expected. I can vouch for that.

My Face Dropped On One Side: What Was Happening?

In my case, that came in some downtime for me, my co-leader colleague and our two boys. We both attended a sporting event on what we termed as a lad’s and dads’ night. I had an excruciating headache come on rapidly. At half time we got some food and drink; as I bit into my hotdog, my son said, dad, your mouth looks very funny. It felt funny, too; as I took a drink, it dribbled down the side of my face, I became anxious and worried instantly.

After the game, I decided to go to the hospital and get checked over. The doctor confirmed I had “Bell’s Palsy.” A term I had not heard of before, as your face drops on one side, it appears as a stroke on your face. It was a wake-up call for me after six years into growing a business. As I asked the doctor what causes this type of condition, his reply startled me. To put it in simple terms, he echoed, “you have hit the wall”. Another term is “Burnout”; if you do not take stock and slow down somewhat, it may lead to other adverse severe things in the future.

“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” – Jack Welch

It Was Time To Change My Mindset As A Leader.

I had a significant decision to make; I could not let exponential growth and success come between me and my health. I could not allow this to happen at any price, and nor should you. I needed to apply a mindset shift to lighten my load.

The meaning of “Mindset” from the Definitions from Oxford Languages is “the established set of attitudes held by someone”. My business attitude was you do what you need to do no matter what. It was not the right formula anymore. I needed to apply a more realistic approach that would not cause any more distress on myself than required.

I was in a situation I had never experienced before. At times like this, you need to delve into your innermost feelings, thoughts & even your subconscious spirituality for the answers. Questioning your inner self-belief of still being able to grow and progress forwards is always at the back of your mind. I formed a mindset shift plan, and it was time to put it into action to become a better me and showcase my leadership qualities.

Here Are The Five Mindset Shift Changes I Made.

I needed to empower more people to take on some responsibility. There was plenty of staff around me; I tested the waters with some and gave them more responsibility. As they took them on successfully, I entrusted them to do the job as they saw fit. I encouraged them to confide in me any problems they were unsure of tackling. Most prominent leaders find this the hardest of all to relinquish.

I Turned Off or Diverted My Phone at Night. Being a medium-sized private business with 400 employees at various sites across the portfolio. Everyone had my number; as a business operating 24 hours a day, I would get calls at all hours of the night. Switching off or diverting my company phone was the only answer. I could no longer take the weight of the business on my shoulders at all hours of the day and night; it was time to rest my mind.

I Went To Bed Earlier & Rested More. I decided to adopt good sleeping hours after doing some research. I read that an hour or two of sleep before midnight could be worth double the amount of deep sleep. It also meant I could get the recommended 6-9 hours (I didn’t get prior) of rest needed for optimum benefits whilst helping my circadian rhythm.

I Made More Time For My Family and Me. There is no use having a wonderful life, house, car or holidays whilst working without giving the essential things like family & me time some consideration. In moments like hitting the wall, more essential priorities need consideration to enjoy life longevity free of burnout.
I Learned Meditation. I was finding it hard to switch off at night. As a result, I suffered many nights without good sleep. After researching the calming influence meditation can have on your mind and body, I decided it was worth a try. I felt silly at first. Spirituality or spiritual healing was not something I considered before; I only wish I did it sooner. I continue to use meditation today; it has become a valuable part of my personal growth development. It can certainly help yours too.

Let my experience be one you don’t need to face for a wake-up call. Use my mistakes and my mindset shift changes to help make your abundant and pressurized work-life schedule easier as a leader.

One question you should always be prepared to ask yourself. Suppose you were to become seriously ill today. Would your business or work role continue in your absence? If the answer is no, can you allow others to assume more responsibility sooner? If your answer is, yes? Why are you still putting yourself through the strenuous burnout process longer than is needed?

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Bobby Barr

Bobby Barr is a serial entrepreneur that has 34 years of real-world experience helping businesses increase revenue and build brand authority. He's a business growth strategist that gets results for his clients. His work has been featured in Yahoo Finance & News, Thrive Global, Good Men Project, USA Today, Fox News, NBC, Marketwatch, Medium, and many more. He’s worked with companies all over the world. Join him at https://bobbybarr.co.uk/.

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Success Advice

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All of us come to this world with our own reserve of magic unfortunately, not everyone can unleash it

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Success Advice

How to Break the Cycles of Mediocrity and Manifest Your Greatness

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity

Published

3 weeks ago

Nov 16, 2023

Jamelle Sanders

Image Credit: Midjourney

In just a few weeks, we will be wrapping up 2023. Can you believe it? This year has been absolutely incredible for me.

I have seen amazing doors opened, new relationships formed and I am seeing dreams realized in my life. While this seems like the hallmarks of a great year, this has also been the most challenging year of my life. With all of the change happening in my life, I have been forced out of my comfort zone and challenged to grow in every area of my life.

I can truly say that I have made the most of my moments this year and I have used everything as a catalyst for maximizing my greatest potential.

As a revolutionary leader, I have the pleasure of consulting and advising leaders around the world to fulfill purpose, realize their greatest potential and make an impact.

I want to share some insights with you that will help you to break cycles of mediocrity and manifest your greatness.

Everything legal must come through the matrix

I am sure that some of you are wondering why I am using the term matrix. However, what you have to understand is that I am trying to make a highly complex spiritual principle practical to understand.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, every life has an origin and I believe that origin is divine and begins with eternity. You are birthed from eternity and into time to fulfill a unique purpose and assignment in your lifetime and generation.

The matrix is simply the portal or vehicle that brings something out of the invisible realm and into tangible form. The problem with much of the teaching today is that it excludes the matrix. We are told to believe that success is instantaneous and overnight.

Nobody talks about how a dream progresses through stages beginning with visualization and ultimately culminating in manifestation. Without a matrix or portal then everything that you attempt to birth and build will be illegal.

The matrix not only makes you legal but it gives you the authority and power to function as the greatest expression of who you were created to be.

Every matrix has an incubation process

While many people admire and respect me today, I remember a time when nobody knew who I was or the significance of my message. How did I get to where I am today? I got here through an incubation process.

In other words, everything that has been destined for your life is incubating and awaiting a set time of manifestation. The problem is that most people live their entire lives idle and never initiate the incubation process.

What do I meany by that? Most people are living reckless and very few people are living intentionally. I am amazed at the number of people I have conversations with that have no vision, goals or strategies for their lives. They show great promise and they have undeniable potential.

However, without development they will die with their dreams still in them.

Everything that has been destined for your life must be incubated and converted to become realities born to time.

“Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin to build.” – Robert Collier

You must give expression to that which is not yet born to time

When you think about a matrix or a prophetic incubation process, you have to understand that potential is often unrealized and untapped. In other words, your potential is in raw form and your potential cannot serve you as long as it is untapped.

The thing that makes me valuable is that I have the ability to convert potential into power. I have done it in my own life and I have empowered leaders around the world to do the same. How do you convert potential into power?

First, it is important to note that you have to perceive potential. If you cannot perceive your potential then you can never cultivate your potential. In addition, you must take the time to cultivate your potential. We often get excited about our capabilities; however, we never expand our capacity in order to realize our greatest potential.

In other words, the strength of your potential is only discovered through your willingness to stretch. The more we are challenged the more we are empowered to expand our capacity for greatness. Most of all, you must begin to express your potential. The expression of potential is different for every person.

For example, the expression of my potential is best demonstrated through the thoughts, ideas, products, services, books, etc.

For another person the expression of potential may look like a screenplay, artwork, sports, scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs, etc.

Regardless of the form of expression, I know that you will live empty and unfulfilled until you make the decision to express your potential. The expression of your potential gives voice to your dreams, life to your vision, significance to your moments and activates your true power.

You must manifest your greatness

As a revolutionary thinker and leader, my work has impacted people around the world. I am grateful that my life is a source of empowerment to so many people. However, before anyone could ever benefit from my life, I had to make a non-negotiable decision to become who I was born to be.

I wish I could tell you that this journey is easy and that you will get there overnight. However, in a world that celebrates us for doing we are often criticized for being. As a result, I wasted a lot of time trying to be who other people wanted me to be instead of being who I was born to be.

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity. It is through our bravery to be vulnerable that we ultimately manifest our greatness. We do not bless the world by being a duplicate. We bless the world when we honor our difference. When you honor your difference you honor your potential.

Ultimately, your difference is how you manifest your greatness.

When you present anything but your authentic self to the world, you are playing small and you are robbing the world of your significance. Manifesting your greatness requires you to master your gifts.