Grow, Serve, Lead

Posts in category Thinking

Leadership Thinking

Nov02
2011 13 Comments Written by danonleadership

This is a guest post by Marc Millan. He is a worship pastor and fellow blogger, you can read his blog here. If you want to guest post on this blog please send me an email at danblackonleadership@gmail.com

The lives we live now days sure are moving at lighting speed. With work, family, hobbies or projects we can tend to just jump from one loop into a deep hole without understanding how we got there. Thinking and taking time to sit in silence can have an incredible positive impact on your leadership and life if you can practice it often enough.

I see three major benefits to taking time to think, these aren’t all of them but three major reasons you need to become a disciplined thinker.

  1. Thinking ahead- Every leader has a gift for vision, either they can see what is around the corner, what is lying dormant or can see new directions for their teams to go in but all leaders “see” things that most people don’t. Taking time to think will greatly allow you to see a clear and more focused direction, it could be as little as 5 minutes a few times a day or putting aside 15 minutes to allow for these thoughts to rise to the top. I would call this process “going over it”, where we allow the mind to just experience a process before it actually happens so we can try and foresee any problems or things we might have forgotten. Thinking ahead has greatly allowed me to prioritize my day and become very efficient with time and I believe it can do the same for you.
  1. Thinking to clear the mind- Again, with the business of life I cannot think (pun intended) of a better way to remain clear. Our lives are insanely congested with ideas, marketing, issues, emergencies and deadlines. Actually taking time to sit in silence has incredible and profound ways to improve your over all stress level and life. Sometimes I just sit for 5-10 minutes but in complete silence and minimal movement, I call this “centering” or getting to a place of stillness, getting grounded, finding your spiritual center. Clearing your mind is critical in making the right decisions and clarifying any confused thoughts you may have.
  1. Thinking to reflect- At the end of each night I try to sit in silence right before I pray. By sitting there to reflect, I go over my day and ask myself some very specific questions internally, did I make good use of my time? Did I help anyone today? What is still unsolved that I can improve on? All of these types of inquiries help me get to truth, they remind me of my dependency on God and how grateful I should be for all the blessings I have. Reflecting is a great tool for growth, not only do I journal but I reflect often and this is been probably the greatest step for me in terms of self improvement. I call this “rewinding the mind”, just going over the opportunities and challenges I may have faced.

If you are a creative person, thinking can dramatically improve your process, if you are in high level leadership thinking can really help you avoid some negative thoughts that try to distort purpose or direction. Give it a shot.

Question: In what ways does thinking benefit your leadership?

Posted in Leadership - Tagged , , ,

Brian Tracy: You Are What You Think

Jun15
2011 2 Comments Written by danonleadership

This is a short clip by Brian Tracy about what you think about.

What are your thought?

Thoughts Drives A Leader’s Actions and Behaviors

May10
2011 3 Comments Written by danonleadership

What leader’s think on throughout the day will direct and guide their actions and behaviors. Henry Ford said, “whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re probably right.” The powerful fact is that our thinking turns into our actions and behaviors. This is why it’s important for leader’s to have the right thinking. What we think about will come out. For example,

If you focus on positive thinking then positive actions will result from it.

While,

if you focus on negative thinking then negative actions will result from it.

We need to make sure we have and maintain good and positive thinking. Which is determined by what we spend our time thinking on and about throughout the day. It is so true that, whatever you want your actions and behaviors to be then direct your thoughts that way. This is something we all have the ability to do. Even if that means we need to shift our thinking and thoughts. Here are some ways to help you have the thinking you desire:

Daily spend time thinking on the good and positive.

Be around good and positive thinkers.

Have resources that will grow your good and positive thinking.

When an undesired or negative thought comes to mind, shift your thoughts away from it.

Do not dwell on thoughts that will lead you in a direction you don’t want to go in.

Choose to break bad thinking habits by making good thinking your focus and priority.

Posted in Leadership

Find A Place To Think

Mar17
2011 4 Comments Written by danonleadership

It is important for leader’s to have a place to think. A place that allows them to clear their mind and think better. It might be a chair, a park, the beach, in nature, or even in the shower. I find one of my places to think is at the beach. It is a place where you find yourself able to think in a higher capacity. Wherever that place is for you make sure you visit that place often. If you get in the habit of going to the places that help you think better, those places will call to you if you have not spent time thinking there. Here are a few questions to ask yourself,

Do I have a place to think?

How often do I go to my thinking place?

Do I need to take time to go to that place and think?

Will Technology Block Your Thinking

Jan22
2011 Leave a Comment Written by danonleadership


Many things can cause a leader from spending time thinking, and technology is definitely one of those things.  Leaders can use technology to do great things and to get things done faster, but we should not allow it to run our lives.  Leaders should not allow the changing world or advancing technology to block them from thinking.  Leaders should regularly turn off their phones and computers and spend time thinking about problems, topics, and the future.  While others are blocked from thinking because of technology you can adapt a habit of thinking that will raise you to the next level in your life.
Leaders have an opportunity to always be leading and be successful if they choose to spend time thinking. The future will be lead by people who use technology but not allow it to block them from thinking. The next generation of leaders must understand the power of thinking and reflecting. Take the time this week to turn off your phone, close your computer, and separate yourself from distractions, so you can think.    
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