Starting a team, building a team, growing a team, and leading a team is what success is all about.

I have discussed earlier in my articles about people who don’t want to share their knowledge with you or anyone else, and the reason for that is because they feel threatened by you and others. The real reason is because of how insecure they are.

1. Limited Mindsets

People who are insecure have a limited mindset; I talk a lot about this in my book “A Limitless Mindset.” They have the belief that if you were to be rewarded for a piece of work, then there is no way they would.

They have the belief that if you were to receive credit for a piece of work, then there is no way they would. They have the belief that if you become noticed, then there is no way they would.

People with a limited mindset want certain things in their life, and when they don’t get them then they blame other people because of it. They don’t believe that their failure has anything to do with them. I didn’t get rewarded for my piece of work because someone else did.

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I didn’t get the credit for my piece of work because someone else did. I didn’t get noticed because someone else did. This insecure belief goes on.

I talk a lot about looking within ourselves and looking in the mirror. People with a limited mindset do not look within themselves and they do not look in the mirror. They don’t take responsibility for anything.

They look outwards to other people. They have certain feelings, and they react based on them. They only focus on themselves, not others. They don’t think between their reaction and response, as we discussed earlier, they just react.

2. Leadership Principles

Leadership is made up of a lot of principles, and when those principles are practiced, it creates a harmony between them which is how our influence is increased. A lot of people who are developing their leadership skills struggle to understand this.

The value that is developed when we practice leadership principles grows, and we can add that value to others. It is like in my job in the rail industry of designing and building a new train, with all the different parts to it.

Imagine you are working in a train depot, and there are two trains parked up. One is an old train that only needs minor checks to make sure it can go into service, and the other train is being built from scratch.

If you were the leader of the train depot, what train would you be more focussed on, the train that is nearly ready to go into service and earn money for the train company with all their parts fitted and working in harmony?

Or, the train that is in bits, parts all over the floor and on racks, and is taking forever to be completed?

It is a no-brainer; you would be more focussed and interested in the train that is ready to go into service. Why?

Because all its train parts are fitted, they are all working in harmony and the train is ready to go into service and will be earning a lot of money for the train company that you are employed by. Most of all, the train will be taking passengers to where they want to get to.

3. Purpose

The train is serving a higher purpose and creating value for a lot of people. The train that is still being built doesn’t have any of that value or purpose right now.

The train going into service could still work and be ready to pick passengers up if the whole train was not fully working. E.g., there could be one set of doors not working and will remain closed. Or the passenger information system may not be working fully.

But it is still functioning and serving that purpose of serving passengers and adding value to those passengers by getting them to where they need to be.

You could think of all the different leadership principles I discuss like all the different parts of a train; they all work in harmony. But if they are not all practiced at the same time, then you can still increase your influence positively with others.

If you were the train driver and you turned up to the train depot, ready to drive it into service, what would you do? Would you move the traction controller into drive, or would you not touch it at all and remain in the depot?

It wouldn’t make any sense to not touch the traction controller and remain in the train depot, would it? Well, that is the same as deciding to have a limited mindset, it doesn’t make sense because you are remaining exactly where you are and not moving forward.

People who have a limited mindset are either average, or below average. They are not excellent, and they will never become highly effective leaders. You are striving to become a highly effective leader, so I know you’re not going to have a limited mindset.

You are reading this article, and I know you are going to work on yourself every day to practice the principles you learn, and eventually turn those principles into habits.

Whatever mindset we have is a decision we make, we are not born with it, or it just comes over us. So, if you have a limited mindset then you have decided to have that mindset, which again doesn’t make any sense.

4. Limitless Mindsets

But the good news is, you can change your decision and decide to have a limitless mindset, which makes a lot of sense.

People striving to become a highly effective leader, no matter what age they are, and excellent people have a limitless mindset. They have the belief that there is enough of everything for everyone. If they did a piece of work and they see somebody get a reward for theirs, then they believe they can too.

If they see somebody get credit for their piece of work, then they believe they can too. If they see somebody become noticed, then they believe they can too.

A Limitless mindset is something that grows and grows. It is not something we are born with.

People who have a limitless mindset love to share their knowledge, they don’t keep it to themselves. They are very open people and love to help others. They know that helping others will in turn help themselves.

If you went back to being the leader of the train depot and you had the option of promoting two train engineers, and they were both as good as each other technically, but you only had one position to fill.

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One engineer is a very open person, has a limitless mindset and loves to help other engineers get ahead. The other engineer has a limited mindset, feel threatened by others, and hates to share their knowledge just in case others get ahead of them.

Which engineer would you promote into the vacant position? It’s another no-brainer, you promote the open engineer who loves to help others.

Those who have a limited mindset and hates to share their knowledge believe that they are more valuable by being like that and thinks this makes them more secure. It is their insecurities that gives them that belief.

Those who have a limitless mindset are very open and love to share their knowledge, which they know makes them more valuable, more secure, and more successful. What mindset will you decide to have?

If you have the wrong mindset and attitude, then there is no way you will move forward. If you have the right mindset and attitude, then there is no way you will move backwards.

I welcome hearing how this post has influenced the way you think, the way you lead, or the results you have achieved because of what you’ve learned in it. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me by commenting below.

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All the best,

Tom (Lead, Grow, Influence)