ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 7: Allen Craig #21 of the St. Louis Cardinals is congratulated by manager... [+]
In regards to the St. Louis Cardinals’ wild card slot and momentum toward the 2012 World Series, manager Mike Matheny said about his team, “They believe they can do it, and that’s hard to stop.” This is the same force that led the Cardinals to victory in 2011, and the same force that will drive business leaders towards results.
20 years ago, I heard the statement, “You are what you think you are,” so I thought I would do a little experiment on myself. As a busy professional, I need to wake up early to be prepared for my day. However, I wasn't a morning person, which presented a problem. So I decided I would begin telling myself that I am learning to be, in fact, a morning person. I would also tell anyone who would listen, “I am a morning person.” When my alarm clock would go off and the last thing I wanted to do was get out of bed, I would repeat this statement to myself. When I would try to get organized in the morning and wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed, I would say it to myself. I would especially focus on saying it at night when I would find myself dreading the fact that I had to get up at the crack of dawn the next day.
And you know what…it worked. I am now a morning person. I actually look forward to getting up early. It took time for it to happen (probably six months to a year), but the absolute truth is that I am now a very productive early riser. The latest I ever get out of bed is 6:00 a.m. (and, yes, this includes weekends). In fact, mornings have become my favorite part of the day.
Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric, uses this idea in his leadership. He states, “The essence of competitiveness is liberated when we make people believe that what they think and do is important - and then get out of their way while they do it.” He has also been quoted as saying, “Giving people self-confidence is by far the most important thing that I can do. Because then they will act.” Welch is an inspiring example of leadership and success, and he owes much of this to his ability to make people believe they are capable of producing greatness for him.
Confidence is home grown. Sure, it is helpful when someone you trust and respect believes in you; however, for the transference of belief to occur, a person must learn to speak positively to himself. Make it a habit to never again have internal dialogue that reflects weakness or negativity about yourself. Instead, learn to replace all negative self-talk with Truth Statements. Truth Statements are statements that emphasize a person’s strengths and have as much truth or more than the originating negative thought. For example, a person who doesn't like giving sales presentations only makes matters worse by saying, “I can’t stand public speaking.” Replace the negative thought with, “I become more confident in front of large groups every day,” and watch ability and confidence grow.
Some forty years ago, Dr. Maxwell Maltz wrote a groundbreaking book called Psychocybernetics that explained this phenomenon. In this book, Maltz also coined the term “self-image” as a view we each have about ourselves, including our limitations and capabilities. Research confirms that a person will not outperform nor under-perform his or her self-image for long. A person’s self-image is developed by what he consistently says to himself about himself. Maltz argues the need for individuals to develop positive inner dialogue to increase the likelihood of personal and professional success. In the last decade, further developments in neuropsychology have concluded that we have the power to change our thoughts and change our lives. MENTAL TOUGHNESS CAN BE LEARNED. One of the most important first steps is to focus on getting rid of any and all negative self-talk.
Sam Walton, founder and CEO of Wal-Mart says, “High expectations are the key to everything.” I’ve seen this principle proven to be true, both with myself and with my coaching clients. Whether you want to be a World Series champion, a business professional, an artist, a morning person, good with numbers—whatever—the real key is to begin telling yourself that you are what you hope to be.
There is an old saying in sport psychology, “Positive thinking doesn't
always work but negative thinking does.” You can’t guarantee winning the World Series just by having the belief that you can and will win it; however, the positive thinking sure does make it easier. I challenge you to prove me (Mike Matheny, Jack Welch, Dr. Maltz, and Sam Walton) wrong.
