History is sometimes interpreted as the story of those who wielded tremendous power over the people and had a distinguished Aura or Halo around them. This Aura or we can say a marked Personality glued the Ordinary to the Person of the Wielder in a tacit chain of unquestionable Loyalty, Awe and Inspiration. However, what distinguished the Wielder of such a power was not his/her outer characteristics, but their inner mindset, thought process, courage, enterprising ability, perseverance in the face of adversity & so on. We often identify such a Person as a Leader.
A natural derivative of the above discussion implies that Leadership is all about mindset. Now, in the post-covid World, the over-arching importance of mindset cannot be gainsaid.
Abundant Leadership, in effect, embarks on the concept of abundance. Understand it this way: What if your leadership entails an unceasing flow of optimism and a corresponding presence of choices and opportunities everywhere? A confident and self-believing leader will definitely vouch for such a scenario, where they go on to share their success secrets, believe in joint progress and does not feel threatened by the fear of losing their competitive edge in the market by spreading their hard-earned wisdom. However, a more usual and expected scenario is a leader going on a defensive or assuming that they know all. Especially in capricious economic times, like after the devastating covid pandemic, the tendency shifts towards conserving the resources, feeling alarmed, at even minor problems or holding on to assets with all might.
This is where Abundant Leadership comes into play. By managing the emotions, rebooting the entrenched behaviours and thought patterns & working on the mindset, an entire scenario could be transformed, which earlier looked bleak and hopeless. An Abundant Leader focuses on his strengths and skills while at the same time taking along with other people on the tide of abundance with themselves, also concurrently tackling obstacles fearlessly with grit and courage. An Abundant Leader remains ready to walk the life-long path of self-awareness. By affecting the inner mastery of feelings, an Abundant Leader is able to manifest, what lesser leaders are unable to.
The lesser leaders here are usually those identified with a ‘scarcity mindset’. A leader carrying a scarcity mindset perceives the world in terms of what is lacking. They hold notions that the resources of the world are limited and the growth of one must necessarily mean a corresponding diminishing for another. They build walls around them and lead with fear, which they also pass on to their teams, stripping them of their confidence. They believe that nothing is sufficient, nor it ever will be. They hesitate from innovation and risks and shy away from anything which does not appear doable or realistic. This underlies ‘The Crucial Difference’ and Abundance Leaders succeed here hands down.
So, what are those crucial behaviours and mindset that sets Abundant Leaders apart from the rest? As mentioned, Abundant Leaders work from the perspective of growth and abundance. They are free from any insecurities which could make them timid and self-fulfilling. They believe in the growth of the community and the success of their tribe. They aspire to leave a legacy of abundance behind and tend to bequeath more value to the world than they have taken from it. Believe me, almost all the super successful entrepreneurs, businessmen & women, executives, managers etc. have this same mindset of abundance and they thereby through this attracts even more wealth and success in life while simultaneously also helping to fulfil others’ dreams. Let us now outline some distinguishing behaviours of abundant leaders which keep them in top gear even during times of crisis and uncertainties.
They give Credit to Others: Abundant Leaders tend to put the limelight on their co-contributors while they themselves love to enjoy the glory of the joint success. They care little for fame but rather vouch for the enrichment of ideas and knowledge.
They Solicit Inputs: Abundant Leaders sincerely believe in the wisdom and knowledge of others and do not shy away from asking for Inputs. They prefer to reach the best solution through active participation and share the exploits of success.
They accord Trust: Abundant Leaders know the importance of extending trust to others as they know that in order to the achieve best results, a trusting environment is an absolute must. This does not imply that they are gullible or do not recognise risks or failures, but it shows the priority they attach to a culture of trust, which starts with them.
They take time to coach others: Abundant Leaders like to pass on their knowledge and expertise by helping others in attaining their endeavours. Such an exercise of coaching others not only create a general abundance for all but is perceived as greatly rewarding for the Abundant Leaders themselves.
They Connect People in their Networks: By carrying a helping attitude, Abundant Leaders become a medium to connect those who come seeking help, to their network, thereby raising a community of like-minded individuals oriented towards growth and success.
They reach out to others to meet unspoken needs: Abundant Leaders remain deeply sensitive to others’ needs and when they find someone struggling, they do not hesitate to reach out to them with a helping hand or offer words of encouragement or advice.
Abundant Leadership is a thing of tomorrow. Especially in the current testing times, shaping a culture focused on abundance and minds oriented towards Growth and Success, while holding each other’s hands and participating in each other’s progress, Abundant Leaders will not only be able to survive but thrive.