In his book “As a man thinketh”, James Allen teaches us valuable lessons about leadership. The first lesson that resonated with me is that everyone needs to be taught perseverance in every aspect of life. “Even if he fails again and again to accomplish his purpose (as he necessarily must until weakness is overcome), the strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success, and this will form a new starting point for future power and triumph. (Watson, 1951, P 172). An effective leader can teach this to his/her followers by demonstrating it themselves. This means that when a leader is dealing with challenges that arise on the path to desired results, he/she will not give up. If this skill is learned, a person can benefit from being able to use it in many aspects of life.
I always try to teach this skill to my students. In today’s world, information is readily accessible at the touch of a button. Some students struggle with persevering through challenges to accomplish goals, as it is easier to access the answers quickly and move on.
I believe that Allen also emphasizes the importance of being able to self-reflect. He encourages people to weed out the bad thoughts and fill the space with positive thoughts. Allen uses the imagery of a garden to compliment his thoughts. This involves self-reflection. In my own life, I often find time for self reflection in my career, my relationships with family, friends and colleagues and in my own struggles. Specifically, I spend a lot of time reflecting on my personal health. I have been on a weightloss journey for most of my life. For me, this is a journey that presents the greatest challenges and setbacks. I often find that there are negative thoughts tracing through my mind about my progress. This week in particular I have experienced a setback which has brought a lot of negative thoughts. In May, I hurt one of my ribs and was advised to stay away from any physical activity until it healed. This week, I was just getting back to light weights at the gym, when I had an accident and fractured my sternum. The doctor told me it will take at least 12 weeks to heal and that I will again have to refrain from physical activity. For someone who has struggled with weight, this terrifies me and naturally I get a lot of negative thoughts running through my head. It is important for me to continue to remind myself of all of the positive things that I have done and that this is only a temporary setback, and not the end of my physical activity. In a previous assignment, I wrote about how leaders should strive for progress, not perfection. I often find that coming back to this thought, helps me to weed out the negative thoughts and focus on the positive ones. I do this by keeping an album of pictures of me at my worst and at my best and writing down how I felt in each photo. I post inspirational quotes on my mirrors in my room, on the fridge, and in my classroom.
Dr. Jason Fox suggests that, “doubt makes our ideas stronger as it is fundamental to discovery.” (Fox, 2016, P24). When reflecting on my negative thoughts, I often find that I am asking myself, “what can I do to improve this situation?” If I didn’t have the negative thoughts, I may not be asking questions regarding self-improvement as often as I am asking them. Everyone has feelings of self-doubt but it is how we use those feelings that defines us. Our self-doubt can be used to help us become better leaders. “This is exactly the quality we want in leaders — the ability to question themselves, to think deeper and accept that no one and no thing is perfect, but we can learn.” (Fox, 2016, P25).
I believe that Allen’s book can remind us that no person is perfect and that even leaders have struggles. It is how well a leader deals with, and overcomes these obstacles that determines how effective they are as a leader.
References
Fox. J. (2016). Why Self Doubt Makes Leaders Better
Watson, L. E. (1988). Light from many lamps. New York: Simon & Schuster