I had the honor of chatting with the fabulous Dr. Charity Campbell, a Digital Organization Development (OD) and Leadership Specialist, Academic Professional, University Lecturer and Millennial Multi-passionate Entrepreneur.
The article that follows summarizes some of my favorite highlights around our conversation on how leaders (and anyone, really) can reclaim the power of choice:
The power to choose: it’s up to you!
Positive Intelligence & the Power of Choice
Our brains are wired to “fix” stuff
Setting an intention can empower you
Words of wisdom from Dr. C.
You can check out the other articles in this leadership series here:
For a quick summary of our engaging convo, read Nuggets of Leadership Wisdom.
For honest insight into The Surprising Ways Leaders Stifle Their Own Progress, read this.
Learn to Harness the Power of Intention: Choose Your Presence in Any Circumstance.
Let’s jump right in!
The Power to Choose is Up to You
What would it feel like to get back the power of choice?
Think about how empowering that is.
We can actually choose how we want to show up. Yes, it’s true!
Now, our brain often wants us to believe differently. It tells us all the time that we don’t have a choice.
You know that feeling like most everything is outside your control, right?
Dr. Charity brought up a great point, “Obviously some of us do not choose correctly because how we show up is not the best representation.”
That’s why Brain Science can be so empowering and downright amazing. Dr. C. agreed: “It keeps evolving - and you never want to just learn one thing and stay there.” So true!
Positive Intelligence & The Power of Choice
I like to say: It doesn't depend on the other person (or a situation). It is all up to us. And it's all about stepping into our own authentic selves and being true to ourselves. That’s what the power of choice is about.
What about Positive Intelligence? What does it have to do with brain science and choice?
Positive intelligence is all about how to refocus your brain. As most of us know, it’s easy to focus on all life’s negative aspects, the what ifs and the disappointments that sometimes seem to derail us.
Instead, it’s about refocusing on the positive, looking for opportunities and gifts - versus looking for what could go wrong.
Our Brains Are Wired to “Fix” Stuff…
Truth is, not everything needs to be fixed. To the contrary, sometimes by trying to “fix” something, we actually create bigger problems.
Think about relationships. If you’ve ever tried to “fix” your significant other, you know they probably didn’t appreciate it. And then you're training them - you're actually teaching them how to behave towards you, and vice versa.
Here’s the thing: if you're looking for problems, they're gonna look for problems, too. And then – you guessed it - there will be a problem. Try instead to seek out the gifts and opportunities in situations – then it becomes about that and it’s fun – not at all something to dread or to worry about.
Choice Takes Practice. Set an Intention Today.
Dr. C. immediately recognized that all of this takes practice. You have to be intentional about changing. She gave the example of a natural born pessimist, emphasizing how challenging it is to step out of that mindset of negativity.
“I've been an optimist for as long as I remember,” shared Dr. C., “but one thing I can say is that, negativity happens. It just…it happens…It's challenging because when you start dealing with your negative self-talk, you start dealing with the ugly part of you.”
It’s understandable that making any change can be difficult – for some, it might even feel impossible. I agreed, because when you deal with that negativity, you put yourself into a stressful situation.
And what does your brain want you to do? Not put yourself in stressful situations. It’s like you're going against the natural way of doing things. When we try to do it in the moment, that's where our brain fights us the most.
That’s why setting a simple intention, as Dr. C. mentioned, can be useful. Even making an intention to recognize how you might react in a triggering situation can be a game changer.
Wherever you are today, step forward in this truth shared by Dr. C. at the close of our great chat:
“You get to choose how you show up. Choose wisely because you never know who's watching you. You never know who is considering you for a promotion or considering hiring you as a consultant.
You just never know.
Make sure [how you want to show up] coincides with your values, your brand, whatever it is, and be the best you that you can be.”
You (& your team!) deserve to achieve new levels of success: our website is filled with tips, tricks & free resources to help uplevel those leadership skills.
Discover how I can help unlock your leadership team’s potential (& get access to an awesome FREE Mental Fitness Resource Kit, too) when you check out Desired Effects Coaching here.