112 Leading with NLP
jigsaw kept me busy for days. I got the edges without much
trouble. Edges are easy, but after that I got stuck. My parents,
grandparents and uncle all offered to help me. Once my
grandfather took up a piece and told me where it went. He
even went to put it in for me. I said, ‘No! I want to do it my-
self!’ and took the piece out again and defiantly mixed it up
with the others. The more I got stuck, the more determined
I became to complete the puzzle. I was not going to let small
pieces of painted cardboard get the better of me. Eventually
I finished it after what seemed like months (actually four
days). I still remember that ferocious determination and I
see it in other children. Children are supposed to have a
short attention span, but it has the focus of a laser beam.
Maybe it doesn’t last long because it is so intense.
There was probably something you wanted to master when
you were young. It may not seem like much now, but at the
time it was important. Gandhi is reputed to have said, ‘What
you need to do may not seem ver y important, but it is vitally
important that you do it.’ That is the quality a leader needs.
leaders and losers
Leaders tend to think of themselves as winners. They are op-
timists and this comes from a belief that they can and will
influence what happens. They start with the idea that they
will succeed unless something stops them. They prepare as
far as possible to avoid problems, looking out for all the pos-
sible pitfalls and solving them before they happen. They
focus on results – not with naïve Pollyanna-like hope that all
will be well regardless, but with a determination to succeed
and an expectation of it. Winning is a belief and a state of
mind. The winning result comes from the winning state of
mind. Losers, on the other hand, tend to start from the idea
that they probably won’t succeed.
How is it possible to believe you will achieve your
goals? Sometimes the odds against you seem too great. But
whatever misgivings leaders have, they act as if they will