HOW THE TOP 5% THINK!

PRINCIPLES OF GREAT LEADERS™

Productive, sustainable organizations result from sound design principles. Design principles that recognize the organization as an interdependent network of living, dynamic human beings.

Looking back, I can recall having a conversation with a close friend regarding the ever-elusive ‘Top 5%.’ Who or even what would be considered to be the Top 5%? Is it a financial, a physical, or a spiritual goal?

I have pondered the idea of whether or not being financially free would make me a member of the Top 5%. Would an Olympic athlete be considered part of the Top 5%? Does a Buddhist Monk who has attained enlightenment qualify for the Top 5%?

Ultimately, what I started to discover was that those in the ‘Top 5%’ in any aspect of life, whether it be business, personal, or spiritual, each has a similar manner of thought. Each carries a consistent way of thinking.

Our focus should not be that they have different situations and circumstances that surround their lives and so have different successes; instead the focus should be how they choose to respond to their individual circumstances. Their response to what surrounds them is what makes them different. Simply put the wealth is not in what they can achieve but instead in the way that they consistently think in every aspect of their lives. This is what makes them successful.

They each have learned that actions will always be determined by a given thought process. Focus on your daily thoughts and your actions will surely follow.

The goal behind focusing on these principles is to better understand how the Top 5% would respond to them daily in their own lives in order to create success. These fundamental principles surround us all. The question to ask yourself is whether or not to let it control our lives, or embrace them and use them to our advantage?

1. Change

There is only one constant in this world and that is change. No matter how hard you try, you cannot prevent change so embracing it is your best option. As humans we tend to fear the unknown. The result of change, more often than not, is unknown to us. We try to avoid change rather than accept it. In order to embrace change and use it to our advantage we must first make the conscious decision (choice) to do so.

2. Choices

First we make our choices; then our choices make us.

There are probably very few people in the world that can honestly say that they have never heard a phrase similar to ‘You’ve made your bed, now you’ve got to sleep in it.’ It is difficult to argue the fact that as long as we have freedom of choice, we will have the burdens and blessings of them as a result of those choices.

In order for our choices to become effective, we must be committed to the decisions we make. How will you choose to be different?

3. Commitment

Are you indifferent to improving your life? Of course, this is a foolish question to ask seeing as to how you have decided to pick up this book and read it. Indifference is not a word that we would use to describe our feelings towards our family but sometimes our actions project an attitude of indifference. The majority of our waking hours are spent thinking about or participating in our careers, yet there is always something about our ‘jobs’ that we just do not like.

Your commitment to your choices will be reflected in your daily activities. As an individual, you have all the authority to make those changes in your life. Let the freedom of choice be the fuel to your commitment.

One must realize that when choosing to make a commitment there is an element of short term failure.

4. Fear of Failure

How do you measure success without failure?

To succeed at anything, we have to be willing to first accept that failure will exist in the absence of success. Neither success nor failure is an overnight experience; each consists of the sum of our daily activities. Success or failure is cumulative over a week . . . a month . . . a year . . . a lifetime. Success is also an accumulation of failures.

As you can see success is a by-product of our way of thinking. Success is a philosophy of life.

5. Goals

Goals give you direction, feelings of accomplishment and a clear indication of your progress.

We will always end up where we focus. Goals help us to keep focus. They are our road map leading us in the direction of our desired outcome. Goals are a means of measuring our success.

6. Perception

Whether it is post-secondary studies or just a feel-good story being shared at a dinner party, each of us have encountered the notion of ‘mind-over-matter.’ The situations that we find ourselves in are enough to change our state of mind. We really can control the power of our minds. Certainly not by coincidence when we focus our energy on the negative, we are consequently planting the seeds of negativity in our lives.

One of the most disheartening things to witness is someone who has a false perception of the goals and expectations that they have set for themselves and in turn feel that they are illogical and unattainable. A downward spiraling vortex of frustration starts to pull their head under the waters of hope until eventually that which was started with good intentions and promise, ends in frustration and anger.

Slight unwavering changes in our perception will lead us to desirable outcomes. The choices that we make are going to be based on what we think is best for us given our current situation. It is our perception of the situation that dictates the choices we make. By closely monitoring our perceptions (right, wrong or indifferent) we can start to better control our choices and in turn control our successes. In this chapter we are going to take a deep look at the perceptions that we have of our lives, careers, circumstances etc. As well, we are going to look at how these perceptions can affect us and how we can use them to our advantage.

7. Invest in Yourself

Do you remember the story about the Three Little Pigs? Straw, sticks and bricks were the materials chosen to construct their respective houses. What went into each of those abodes directly influenced their ability to withstand the forces of the Wolf.

‘Garbage in equals Garbage out.’ What you invest in yourself is what you will get out of yourself. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Imagine you were given a house to live in for free. Upon getting your new residence you learn that it is expected to last you for the rest of your life. Would you invest in keeping that house sound? Would you ensure that it stood on a solid foundation? How about its appearance? What if that residence was your body? You need to live in it for the rest of your life. What is your ‘spring-cleaning’ agenda?

We are a product of the environment we create for ourselves. Some elements of that environment may be beyond our control, yet we can always control the development of our character. Ask yourself, “What can I do to start improving myself today?”