HOW SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE THINK
HOW SUCESSFUL PEOPLE THINK
Revealed in a report on Business Insider.com by Aimee Groth, the bottom line is that the world’s most successful people think differently from everyone else.
Taking the best from leadership expert John C. Maxwell‘s New York Times bestseller How Successful People Think Business Insider lists the top 15 tips:
1. Thinking is a discipline. If you want to be better at it, you’ve got to work at it:
Set aside specific time for thinking, daily, weekly, monthly.
2. Figure out where you need to focus your energy, and use the 80/20 rule:
Devote 80% of your energy to the most important 20% of your activities. Avoid multitasking: it can cost you 40% efficiency.
3. Smart thinkers expose themselves to different ideas and types of people
4. It’s one thing to have an idea, and another to follow through:
Ideas have a short shelf life. You must act on them before the expiration date.
5. Thoughts need time to develop. Don’t just settle on the first thing that comes to mind:
Thoughts need to be shaped until they have substance and need to stand the test of clarity and questioning.
6. Smart people collaborate with other smart people:
Thinking with others yields higher returns.
7. Reject popular thinking (which often means not thinking at all):
Too many people act, hoping that others have thought things through first. Also remember that right now, there are a lot of other people out there deciding to think for themselves – and they’re the ones who are successful.
8. The best thinkers plan ahead, while leaving room for some spontaneity:
When you’re strategic, you reduce your margin of error.
1. Break the issue down.
2. Ask why the problem needs to be solved
3. Identify the key issues
4. Review your resources
5. Put the right people in place.
9. To think differently, do different things:
Try new routes to work, meet new people, read books you might even consider boring. The key is exposure to new ideas and ways of life.
10. To appreciate others’ ideas, you need to value other ideas:
You can’t think that you’re always right. Give other concepts a chance.
11. Have an agenda for the day and when you meet with people:
Too many people only plan for the day. Smart thinkers take time to plan out their days, weeks, months, and long-term goals, and then they follow through.
12. Reflective thinking gives you perspective and confidence in your decision-making skills:
If you’re not reflecting, it’s holding you back more than you think.
13. Get over negative self talk. Winners think in terms of “I will” and “I can”:
Smart people don’t see limitations. They see possibilities.
14. Creative people are dedicated to ideas:
They embrace ambiguity, don’t fear failure, and hang out with other creative people.
15. Naturally optimistic people find it hard to be realistic thinkers:
To become a more realistic thinker, you must:
1. Appreciate the truth
2. Do your homework and get the facts
3. Think through the pros and cons
4. Consider the worst-case scenario
5. Align your thinking with your resources.
Log on to www.johnmaxwell.com for further information
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