#1 Habit Leaders have that makes them distinct
“You are the master of your destiny. You can influence, direct and control your own environment. You can make your life what you want it to be.”
— Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich
If you pick the Top 5 performers of any company and wonder what they are doing that sets them apart from the crowd?
Leaders always think about the future and what they want to achieve and take action in the present. They always think and talk about the results they want while the rest focus on the lack of resources, circumstances, or past events.
What is future Orientation?
Future orientation is a leadership quality. In psychological terms, Future orientation is defined as the extent to which an individual thinks about the future, anticipates future consequences, and plans ahead before acting. Conventional human thinking is that our effectiveness as a leader is dependent on our past knowledge, expertise, and experiences. On contrary, our effectiveness also depends on the outcome we see in front of us. We are more determined and committed to taking action if we see that the outcome is going to be favorable. For example, as students, we go through 3-to 4 years of academic courses to get the desired degree. What we dream of ahead of us is the ideal job, salary, and life. We predict all the good things that make us study, appear for exams, etc.
Cristina Cabras and Marina Mondo did a study on future orientation with 373 Italian and Spanish students. The findings of this study suggest that university students who are confident in their career adaptability are satisfied with life because they are confident about their future prospects.
In an article on how effective leaders harness the future, Souba W. Mentions that “No matter how daunting the circumstances we are confronting, if we can “see” an aspired future that is achievable, we are much more likely to be engaged and committed”
Strategies to become future-oriented
- Desire -
We often limit ourselves by limiting our desires. As Napoleon Hill once said “The starting point of all achievement is DESIRE. Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat.”
Whatever human inventions we see today are because someone someday desired of creating them. The thing was first created in the person’s mind then it came into the physical world. There are no limits to what a human being can achieve in his lifetime. It’s absolutely ok to have big desires, if you can think of it you can have it.
- Clarity of thoughts -
As the popular saying “you are what you think about the most”. Our world is the reflection of our thoughts. If you pay close attention to your surroundings you will observe that the people you associate with or your environment is all in harmony with you. We often think that the environment affects our progress. In contrast, the way we think affects our habits and personality. A person attracts things in harmony with his/her personality. This is the law of attraction. We assume the outside world changes us but the change is always inside out. It’s very important to get the clarity on WHAT you want to achieve only then the HOW can be figured out.
- Setting goals -
There is a huge difference between a goal and a wish. A wish is a goal Goals if it’s SMART
What is a SMART goal?
S — Specific
Your goal needs to be exact. Rather than saying I want to be rich someday decide the exact amount you want to earn.
M — Measurable
You should be able to track your goals and the progress you make towards them.
A — Achievable
I absolutely stand for setting big goals. Drill it down to achievable tasks.
R — Relevant
Set goals that are relevant to you and achieving them matters to you.
T — Time-bound
Your goal needs to have a date of completion.
I also feel your goals need to be challenging so it drives you. You can wish for anything but it’s not your goal until you drill it down to specific tasks. Set a specific date of completion, and take small steps daily towards it. I would recommend you to read Brian Tracy’s book GOALS to get more insights on goal setting. Goals affect performance by directing attention, mobilizing effort, increasing persistence, and motivating strategy development.
Why most people don’t have clear goals?
People often fail to set goals by not realizing the impact goals can have on their life or by the fear of failing at them. Even some set one but it’s not fulfilling the SMART checklist. Whenever you set a goal do go through all these steps and analyze your goal. This is the essential strategy if you want to be future-oriented.
- Take action TODAY -
The next strategy after you figure out desired results is to know what piece of your bigger picture you can paint today. Answer the question what I can do to make a progress towards my future? Every small step you take makes your desired goal come a little forward. Today is all we got, not the past or the future. Past cannot be changed and the future can only be predicted but actions can be taken only in present. All we need is to take some time out of our schedule to focus on the goal and act.
Wish you the best in your leadership and growth journey. If you like the content do follow me on medium.com for more such posts.
