You can optimize the impact of your talent and available tools with the right heart set and mindset. To grow into the best possible, well-rounded leaders, we should seek incremental awareness and improvement in four distinct areas of our personal leadership: Heart set, Mindset, Skillset, and Toolset. Many of the leaders I coach think working on their skills and tools will help them improve as leaders – which is true to a point – yet integrating all four talents on a regular basis is substantially more effective.
Heart set is about understanding and acting upon what is in your heart and soul. It is your WHY that drives you to succeed and takes you in the direction of your deepest desires.
Many of the people I coach spend a lot of time using the logical and analytical side of their brain and not as much of their right side of the brain which is connected to instincts, feelings and beliefs. Sometimes what we desire actually defies logical thinking. When you tune into your Heart set, you uncover creative and innovative solutions to challenges and success you never dreamed of having.
How much time have you spent thinking about your Heart set this quarter?
Mindset focuses on how you see, perceive and view the world around you. It is what you believe. (And this is interesting: It’s what you believe whether it is true or not.) Your mindset:
- Is your way of thinking,
- Determines your actions and perspective,
- Determines how you’ll interpret and respond to situations.
Your mindset has a lot of potential for growth and change. Especially in a world that is changing constantly and exponentially, it’s healthy to examine your mindset and look toward other possibilities, viewpoints or interpretations.
How much time have you spent thinking about your Mindset this quarter?
Your Skillset is the group actions you take based on your capabilities, knowledge, and understanding. It’s what you do. Skillsets grow at a steep learning curve from age 0 through the early 20s and hopefully, they continue to grow throughout our life. A wise leader knows she will probably not be able to thrive in her career if she’s using the same old thinking and actions that she’s used before. Even if she’s had success with them in the past, that’s not a guarantee they will continue to work well now and into the future.
How much time have you spent thinking about your Skillset this quarter? With a possible change in your Heart set or Mindset do you need to upgrade your Skillset?
Lastly, your Toolset is the group of things you use to get your work done and also improve your Skillset. Your toolset could include systems, techniques, models, or frameworks you and your team use to create value, get results and move projects along. It may also be the sources of information, education, and additional insight and perspective that you need.
How much time have you spent thinking about your Toolset this quarter? With a possible desire to change your Skillset based on a clearer Heart set or Mindset, what tools do you need to build up those skills?
As you answer these questions, a new focus will likely motivate you to do things in a new way. Be sure to increase your Skillset and Toolset to get the best possible awareness and improvement. Continue on that cycle with each project and each year as you develop your leadership. By taking time to focus on all four of these areas of personal leadership regularly, you’ll find a more specific purpose and strategy that fosters commitment and leads to results.