Magnetic

10The Magnetic Mind-Set

Common Threads

Successful leaders and top performers in business tend to think alike. They may be completely different in style, personality, strategies, and tactics, but there are common threads in the mind-sets of people who consistently do well in business.

Strategies and tactics will ultimately fail unless they are built on a mind-set, a way of thinking about your business that provides both stability and flexibility. Part of that mind-set is going to be about values, and your culture will ultimately come from there. But it's important to develop an attitude that creates magnetism and the ability to attract business. That's mind-set.

Here are three key characteristics of the magnetic mind-set:

1. I Believe That my Competition is Really Good at What They do, and That They are Always Gaining on me, are Even with me, or Have Passed me

A classic rookie mistake is to underestimate your competition and, sadly, it is one of the most common weaknesses I see in businesses of all kinds. I refer to it as a rookie mistake because it's the kind of thing that someone who doesn't know any better would do, but the sad fact is that I see experienced businesspeople do it all the time.

A leading independent grocery store had a nationally known competitor moving into their market. There were some in the organization who were like little kids who had closed their eyes, put their hands over their ears, and were yelling “I can't hear you! I can't hear you!” over and ...