In case you missed out on the Small Business Supercharge in May this year, we’re pulling some highlight moments from the event to share!

This Week: Alicia Lozano and the Power of Your Thoughts in your Leadership

I was once training for a marathon, and that involved long runs in the morning of the weeks leading up to it. Sometimes it was up to 7 miles in the morning, and I had a lot of thoughts running through my head on those days, thoughts like  “Can I get this in later?” “I’ve been good for three weeks, I can skip a day, right?”

In business, we have all of the same kinds of negative thoughts. Especially when we’re stressed. And for an entrepreneur, those thoughts can be anything from “I’m a fraud” to “I don’t know how to lead my team” or “I should be able to figure this out by myself.

If that sounds familiar, you’re an entrepreneur.

Here’s the kicker.

Negative thoughts create huge cycles in our lives that feed our negative thoughts. Here’s how it works:

Our thoughts lead to our emotions. Our emotions lead to actions. Our daily actions inform/support our habits, and our habits create the results we get in life. Our results then feed our beliefs which feed our thoughts, and the cycle starts over again.

Here’s a few practical examples of how this cycle works itself out in an entrepreneur’s life.

The Thought:

“I don’t really know how to lead a team.”

Our thoughts inform our emotions. You’ve probably heard someone say that what you dwell on grows, and it’s true. What you think grows into your emotions.

The Emotions:

The most likely emotion this thought causes, among a plethora of other negative emotions, is incompetence. 

And when you feel incompetent, your tend to act less competent than you actually are. Regardless of how competent you are, your emotions are going to fuel your actions.

The Actions:

There is a whole list of actions that this emotion could cause a leader to take on a regular basis. Everything from snapping at team members to shying away from opportunities to ignoring important tasks and miscommunicating. 

But even if we take only one of those actions and consistently apply it, it can end up with troubling results.

E. G., Ignoring Important Tasks

If a leader is consistently ignoring the important tasks they’ve assigned to their team, the team is going to notice. They’re going to let things slide, because the boss isn’t holding them accountable. Ultimately, the boss will feel like they don’t know how to get their team to work because they’ve subconsciously instilled a habit in themselves and in their team that letting important tasks slide is OK. 

Atop that, the whole business begins to feel the effects of those subconscious habits. Goals get missed, and you end up with a company that tells you you’re a bad leader atop your own thoughts telling you that you’re a bad leader. 

The Results:

In reality, it doesn’t matter which action you begin to subconsciously take. Your thoughts and emotions lead to corresponding actions, which build habits and change the way people around you respond. So you’ll ultimately end up with results that reflect your original thought. From there, it just compounds on itself. 

Here’s another quick example:

The Thought:

“I should be able to figure this out by myself.”

The Emotions:

Anger

Overwhelm

Feeling Dumb

Frustration

Stress

The Actions:

Disconnection with others

Snapping at others

Negativity

Micromanagement

The Habits:

Self Isolation

Irritation at Help

Refusal to Reach Out

The Result:

No one reaches out to help because they’re unaware of the situation, and the business owner feels isolated. This reaffirms the idea that the business owner needs to be able to do it all on their own, and the cycle starts over again.

So if you want to avoid poor leadership, start by taking control of your thoughts and aiming to align your actions and habits with positive thoughts. You’ll be amazed how much of a different positive thinking can have!

About the Content Creator:

Alicia Lozano, The Life Designer, works with purpose-driven solopreneurs to design a life + business that maximizes personal happiness and world impact! She is the creator of The Life FLOW framework, a life-design framework she has spent the past three years creating and living herself. The outcome is a life lived and rooted in their unique purpose while running a thriving purposeful business. Her credentials include seven years of corporate coaching, consulting, and training. She also holds a graduate degree in Organizational Development and Leadership.

About the Ghost Writer:

Susannah Scheller is the Technology Director and Engagement Curator for Grow Disrupt, and was the first permanent hire made by Stephanie! She has spent countless hours studying the world of business under Stephanie, and has over 5 years of experience in content creation and Technology Execution. Having recently completed her Bachelor of Music, she has begun devoting her focus to the creation of content that helps to support small business owners company growth the world over.