6 Ways To Create a ‘Thinking Big’ Mindset
By Rick Houcek
Most people get small results in their life and it frustrates them. And one of the reasons is, they think small to begin with.
Is that you? Well, think bigger to get bigger results.
How can you do it? Let me share with you 6 ways.
- Always think long-term result first, then back into short-term. I like to use an example of an NFL coach joining a new team and saying, “You know, we were 6 and 9 last year, but heck, I’m a brilliant coach. I think I can probably get us to winning 2 more games this year, so I can get us to 8 and 7 and then probably next year, win a couple more games, to 10 and 6, and then maybe the year after that, well, we could probably make it to the playoffs.”
I like to do it a different way. Forget doing incremental, as-you-go thinking. Let’s think long-term first. Slam your fist down on the table and say, “In 3 years, we’re winning the Super Bowl!” Then, back into, “Okay, in order to do that, what do we have to do now?” Set the lofty, ambitious long-term goal FIRST.
So, the question for you is, on any goal or initiative or problem you face: “What’s your Super Bowl?” Set the lofty, ambitious, long-term goal FIRST. Then back into the action steps that get you there.
- Have a sounding board. Gather a team of people – preferably outside your industry. Why? Because the best ideas come from outside the paradigm; people who don’t think the way you do. And, bounce off your idea to get broad thought.
- Always ask yourself, “Who is the person I know who does what I want done… the very best… a role model? And, what are 5, 6, or 7 things he or she would do to tackle this very same opportunity?”
In my life, one of my personal heroes and role models is Abraham Lincoln. Now, of course, I never met Lincoln, but I’ve read many books on his life, his leadership, his presidency, watched lots of movies and documentaries, and I think I have a pretty good idea of how he processed thought.
So, a question I’m always asking myself is, “How would Lincoln approach this problem?” And that takes me outside my mindset and into his, and I can see my whole problem from a different perspective.
- Put different teams on the same opportunity and problem. In a business, you can take three different teams and say, “Here’s the problem, or here’s the opportunity, and I want each of you to tackle the same one. Solve it independently – don’t talk across teams. It’s a competition. In the end, we are going to pick the best solution and move on that. We may even mix and match ideas to create an even better fourth approach by combining ideas from each of the three.”
- In negotiations, don’t carve the pie. Make the pie bigger. You know, we are all negotiating everyday – sometimes big, sometimes small. Most people don’t think big because they see the pie as a fixed size and they’re thinking process is, “In order for me to get a bigger slice of the pie, you’ve got to get a smaller slice.” Well, that creates win/lose solutions. What you want is win-win solutions. So what’s the idea? Expand the whole pie; think bigger; add things to it that weren’t part of it before.
Try these 5 ideas. I think you’ll enjoy success.
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