A Rigid Mind Blocks Success. Try These 5 Strategies for Fearless Leadership.

Sherrie Campbell

Contributor

culled from:http://www.entrepreneur.com
Rigid thinking is natural to the human psyche. This rigidity causes people to repeatedly apply the same behaviors over and over to diverse business situations. The reality is that people are the most comfortable doing what they know orhave done in the past.
The challenge that arises is that diverse problems require varied responses, yet human beings are especially prone to doing what they're familiar with because it doesn’t awaken any fear.
Fear leads to rigid thinking and subsequently blocks abundance. This is how people get stuck in self-doubt, confusion and stress and their energy drains away as they dip into despondency and frustration.
These psychological states of mind are the reason many aspiring leaders quit. They cannot move past the fact that the approaches they think should work don’t. And so self-doubt and fear take over and the entrepreneurs feel blocked. Successful leaders wage war on these habituated patterns and this, in turn, leads to their success.
Related: Why You Should Hire Only Flexible Minds

1. Breaking mental patterns.

Successful leaders fight against their habitual tendencies. They force themselves to react to what's happening in the present moment without going back and trying to apply past philosophies.
Great leaders know that in order to be successful they have to be hard-nosed ahd not letting their reactive emotional responses get in the way of a current business opportunity. They are adept at yanking themselves away from using the same tired methods, even when it involves risk and invokes fear. They are clear that everything they want exists on the other side of fear and so they jump.

2. Creating shock. 

In moving away from rigid and safe decision-making responses, great leaders are aware that while they might sacrifice emotional comfort and security, they will gain the element of surprise.
Because they can be flexible in the present, they are unpredictable. This is powerful for leadership and success as their creating shock doesn’t allow customers, competitors and strategic partners to know what they will do next. This creates further interest and fascination with the entrepreneur and also generates awe and respect. Shock inspires people to pay close attention and want to follow.
Related: Mindfulness and the Startup CEO

3. Using mindfulness.

Successful leaders are clear that being elite in a field is not just about having knowledge.
When a deal is lost, the problem is often not because a person thought of a solution too late. Some individuals will ruminate, “If only I had had more knowledge.”
Successful leaders know this is an incorrect approach. What creates failure   is not being mindful of the present moment. Great leaders refrain from getting lost listening to their own thoughts, reacting to things that happened in the past and habitually applying prior concepts and ideas to the present, which might have little relevance to what the situation is calling for.
They are able to intuit and stay attuned to the demands of a current deal, letting them spontaneously figure out what needs to be accomplished (which may be entirely different from similar prior negotiations).