Taking massive action is by far the single greatest thing that one can do to turn the financial tide back to an upward direction. Many people and entrepreneurs at some point will find themselves in a rut. This is natural as everything flows in cycles. Since change is a part of life, what are you doing to prepare for it?
Who Moved My Cheese, a powerfully short book by Spencer Johnson, provides a great perspective on ways to deal with change in your work and in your personal life. Since we know that the only thing constant is change, it is important to be armed with the tools required to recognize when this change is approaching and to be able to effectively navigate through it.
This book identifies that there are four typical reactions to change by people. Some people react at a slower pace and they are broken down into types: Stabilizer (structured responsiveness) and Unifier (Unstructured Responsiveness). Other people react at a faster pace and these two types of people are identified as either Producer (Short View Shaper) and Innovator (Long View Shaper).
The faster pace responders are the first to take action when things change while the slower pace reactor is the last to make changes. Although there is value to each of these types of people, the way to have the best chance of staying relevant when the marketplace changes is to ensure that you are a faster pace reactor.
Some ways to help get your current limiting beliefs and to break through to the next level are to ask yourself what you would do if you weren’t afraid and to take the philosophy that moving past fear is freeing. When you change what you believe, you change what you do. So keep continuing to explore and grow, even when things are good.
Now here is the one secret to achieving massive success: take persistent, massive action. People who create their own opportunities tend to be able to more consistently rebound when things get tough. Take the mindset that “increase” is the name of the game. Understand that you must have an expansive mindset and vision in order to get to the next level. Massive success does not happen overnight. So remain proactive and persistent and you will eventually look back and realize how much you have achieved over time.
Not all leaders are made the same. This is a statement that everyone should be able to agree with. But why is this? Leaders are differentiated by their internal “action logic” which describes how the leaders interpret their surroundings and react when their power and safety is challenged. Here are the 7 action types:
Opportunist – Although this is the smallest percentage of leaders, the Opportunist is characterized by mistrust, egocentrism, and manipulativeness. These people are primarily focused on how they can make the highest personal gain at whatever cost to anybody else. This person tries to control the world around him.
Diplomat – The Diplomat is a leader who attempts to please higher-ranking colleagues while also avoiding conflict. This type of leader primarily focuses on mastering his own behavior rather than trying to master other people’s behavior. This type of leader performs best when gaining the trust of other people and working as a team.
Expert – The Diplomat is the largest group type of leaders and this person focuses on controlling his own behavior as best as possible. The Expert strives to become an expert at whatever they do and they value the use and analysis of data and facts.
Achiever – The Achiever is another large segment of the leader type and this person both challenges and supports his team in a positive atmosphere. The Achiever has a broader view of the world around him than the Opportunist, Diplomat, or Expert. The Achiever has a better consciousness that many business conflicts are simply the result of a misunderstanding between people having different perspectives about the same issue.
Strategist – The Strategist is a very small percentage of leaders and these people are focused on improving the perception and expanse of the organization. The Strategist is great at being able to take a vision and make it shared among people of varying core beliefs and philosophies.
Alchemist – The Alchemist is different than the Strategist in that the Alchemist is able to restructure both himself and the organization in ways that would defeat almost all other types of leaders. The Alchemist is able to deal with many situations at the same time while the Strategist is only able to deal with one thing at a time. The Alchemist is the epitome of what a transformative leader should be when a business needs to be turned around or grown.
So in order for your finances to change, you must first identify what type of leader you are. Then, identify the leadership styles of those people around you and learn how to get the most from each person.