Why Leaders Need to be Abundance Thinkers

What we believe about ourselves, our situation and our world drives our thoughts and actions, and therefore has a huge impact on the results we achieve. While this is a profound fact for us as individuals, as a leader, those beliefs (and the resulting thoughts actions and results) have a significant impact on many others too.

This set of beliefs is sometimes called our mindset; which according to Merriam Webster can be defined as a particular way of thinking: a person’s attitude or set of opinions about something.

In a broad way, most people have either an abundance or a scarcity mindset. Rather than defining the difference in a dry way, this image should do the trick.

While you may find yourself identifying with some items on each list, chances are one side or the other more accurately defines your mindset or beliefs about the world.

For the next few paragraphs, I want to give you four reasons why you will get better results with a mindset more in line with abundance thinking than scarcity thinking.

Your Customers Have Earned It

Your Customers (or Clients, Patients, Students, etc.) have exchanged funds for your services; services that they expect to make their life better in one or more ways. Yes, they have given you money for a product or service, but there are other possible dimensions to this value exchange.

When your Customers interact with people exhibiting the abundance mindset behaviors, they are more likely to be happy with that exchange, come back more frequently, and tell others about you your products and services.

They likely won’t be able to describe the reasons in this way, but that doesn’t change those facts. And the spreading of those behaviors starts with you.

Your Organization Needs It

Your Customers write your (and everyone on your team’s) paychecks. So when we do things that positively impact our Customers, their interactions with us, and therefore their long term willingness to stay and keeping paying us, we are doing what our organization hired us to do.

I don’t care if you are a government agency or a not-for-profit; there is a Customer who is writing your paycheck. Your organization needs you to be on the left side of this chart to create stability and long term viability for the enterprise.

Your Team Members Crave It

Look at the abundance list again. Many of these speak directly to the behaviors and habits people want in a supervisor, coach and manager. It is called effective leadership when people choose to follow. Do people want to follow those who:

• Willing share their knowledge and expertise
• Give credit
• Are trusting
• Are grateful

Without a doubt.

But your team members more than just crave or desire these things from you, they need these things to grow, develop and become who they are capable of becoming (and therefore making a bigger positive impact for your organization and Customers).

We lead only when people choose to follow. People choose to follow abundance thinkers. (Tweet That)

You Deserve It

Here is the bottom line. You will happier, healthier and get better results with the abundance mindset than the scarcity mindset. This is true for you personally; and for the reasons listed above you will be more successful as a leader when you adopt or move towards this mindset.

If you started reading this post thinking this is theoretical, or somewhat esoteric, I hope I have changed your mind. I encourage you to reflect not only on what you say you believe, but also which of these lists of behaviors are what you actually do.

Belief is the start but it is the actions themselves that will make the difference.