The 4 Step Process to Effectively Achieving your Leadership Goals

“Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blue print, and begin to build.” – Robert Collier 

Leaders can accomplish a lot more if they know how to effectively utilize the resources they have.  However, often leaders are not aware that their most powerful resources are not only external people, systems, and tools, but are also internal resources they find within themselves. Before anything can be created in the external world, it must first be created within.  The shortest and most direct route to accomplishing any goal is to first take the time to see it, feel it, and believe it within your own mind and body. 

This is called conscious creation. Conscious creation is not an intellectual goal setting exercise. Instead, it is a powerful process that uses your mind, body, and soul to most efficiently achieve your goal in a way that minimizes struggle and unease, and maximizes growth and fulfillment.  Often, this is easier said than done because it is usually more comfortable to jump to action before clearly creating and embodying a vision of what you desire to achieve.

In order to consciously create anything that you desire, the process is always the same. The only difference is the length of time it may take to achieve your goal. It is important to understand that conscious creation is a process (a 4-step process, in fact), and it heavily relies on the use of your internal tools and resources before you take any external action. These powerful internal tools and resources include your imagination, intuition, gratitude, and mindfulness. 

Step 1:  Create a Vision 

The first step is to decide what it is that you want to accomplish.  This can be a big goal or a small goal.  The key is to create a mental picture in your mind – a vision of what success looks like to you. You need to move beyond the intellectual goal setting process and really picture in your mind what the outcome of your goal looks and feels like. Take the time to use your imagination (which is one of your most powerful creative tools) to build your mental picture of what success looks and feels like. Remember, do not to get caught up on how you will achieve your goal at this stage, but just get very clear on what you want to achieve.  Your job as a leader is to know exactly what it is you want to accomplish.   

“Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.” Jack Welch 

Once you are clear on what you want to accomplish, you then need to ask yourself - do you believe this is possible?  You cannot get past step one unless your belief system is aligned with your conscious desire.  A vision without a strong belief in your ability to bring it to reality is just a day dream. It cannot be created without a strong belief that it is possible. A quick check to see if your beliefs are aligned with your desire is to feel if you have any doubt. 

If you feel doubt, then you know you need to work on building your belief before you move on to step two, or refining your goals until your belief system is strongly aligned.  As a finance executive, I have often seen leaders build financial goals that they didn’t really believe in because of political pressure or fear.  This had always created a lot of hard work, frustration, and ultimately disappointment.  You need to see your vision, feel it in your body, and believe without a doubt you will accomplish it. 

Step 2: Express Gratitude  

Feel gratitude towards your goal. This could mean you feel a sense of gratitude while imagining you already accomplished what you set out to do, or you feel gratitude in your ability to achieve your goal, or your feel gratitude for your job and the people you work with. The feeling of gratitude is a positive energy exchange with the Universe. 

Everything is energy; therefore, by feeling grateful for something, you attract into your life more of what you are grateful for. Feeling and expressing gratitude is the easiest way to align yourself with your goal energetically.  Remember, before anything is created in the external world, it must first be created within yourself.  Keep yourself in the positive vibration of gratitude by making gratitude a daily practice.  Be grateful to others who are working towards accomplishing this goal, and be grateful for each milestone you achieve. 

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more.  If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey 

Step 3: Detach from Your Goal 

Detach from any feelings in your body of “wanting” or “striving” for your goal.  This does not mean you give up on your desire, but instead you feel like it is already yours.  The feelings of “wanting” or striving” put your body is a state of unease.   The more you feel unease, the more you will attract unease. If you put out negative energy is the form of stress or fear, you will get more of what you put out. These negative feelings energetically block you from receiving what you desire and make your path to success more difficult. 

Instead you need to relax and feel like you already have what you desire. You need to know that you have the right tools and resources both within yourself and externally to get the job done. Check in with yourself often and feel if you are tense or relaxed.  You can use mindfulness practices like meditation to center yourself and bring you back to a relaxed state. By maintaining a relaxed state of knowing, you become a more alert, focused, energetic, and powerful leader – someone who knows they can accomplish what they have set out to do.   

Step 4:  Align Your Actions with Your Goal 

It is only after you are clear on your goal, feel it, believe it, are grateful for it, and know it is coming, that you are ready to take action to bring it into your life.  It is important that you trust yourself, your gut instincts, and intuition. Quiet your mind through mindfulness practices, so you can hear your inner guidance. Your inner guidance will tell you what you need to do next to realize your desired outcome. Be open to the people, opportunities, and resources that show up to further guide and support you. 

Follow the flow of where you are being led.  Do not take action that contradicts your vision. Be persistent thought obstacles and challenges and believe in yourself.  You will know when you are in the flow when the actions you take do not actually feel like hard work because you are moving in complete alignment with your goals.  As you bring others along with you in the accomplishment of your goal, remember: 

• Clearly communicate what you want to accomplish 
• Build a belief in others by leading by example 
• Express gratitude 
• Relax and have fun 

The article was written by Raana Zia is the author of Your Hidden Light:  A Personal Guide to Creating Your Desired Life.  To learn more, please go to her website.