Success Power Points: Strategic Thinking By: Brian Tracy

The Quality of Thoughtfulness

The ability to think and plan strategically is perhaps the most important single skill of the effective executive. In a longitudinal study of leaders who, in retrospect, made the best and most effective decisions, the single quality that stood out from all others was the quality of "thoughtfulness." Thoughtfulness may be defined as a careful concern for the secondary consequences of each decision and each action. This is the essence of strategic thinking.

Your Most Powerful Tool

most powerful tool that you as an executive have to bring to bear on your work is your mind - your thinking ability. Everything you do that sharpens and hones your ability to think with greater clarity before acting, will benefit you and help you to move upward and onward more rapidly in your career.

Use a Two Pronged Approach

The best way to approach strategic thinking is two pronged. This means to work simultaneously on the personal and the corporate.

Increase Your "Return On Energy"

In personal terms, strategic planning is an exercise in increasing "return on energy." Your greatest single asset is your earning ability. And your earning ability is nothing more than the total of the mental, emotional and physical energies that you can apply toward getting valuable results for yourself and your company.

Anything that you can do to increase your return on energy invested will increase your overall levels of effectiveness and contribution in every area of your life, especially, and most importantly in your work.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to increase your return on equity and your return on energy.

First, think about everything that you are doing in terms of its financial return to your organization. What are the things that you do that yield the highest return on equity? Whatever they are, do more of .

Second, think in personal terms about the things you do that give you the highest return on energy. Where do you contribute the greatest value and achieve the greatest satisfaction? Whatever they are, do more of these things.

About Brian Tracy

Brian Tracy is a leading authority on personal and business success. As Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, he is the best-selling author of 17 books and over 300 audio and video learning programs. Copyright © 2001 Brian Tracy International. All Rights Reserved.

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The rewards of a Positive Mental Attitude

“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.” William James

The power of a positive mental attitude cannot be overemphasize. In our personal and professional lives the one most single factor to guarantee extraordinary achievement and success is having a positive mental attitude. In his book “keys to Success”, Napoleon Hill explicitly outlined the rewards of a positive mental attitude and he stated, “A positive mental attitude is the single most important principle of the science of success.” This list of rewards will serve as motivating factors in building a positive mental attitude. You will enjoy the following:

1. Success consciousness, which attracts only the circumstances which make for success
2. Sound health, both physical and mental
3. Financial independence
4. A labour of love in which to express yourself
5. Peace of mind
6. Applied faith, which makes fear impossible
7. Enduring friendship
8. Longevity and a well-balanced life
9. Immunity from self-limitation
10. The wisdom to understand yourself and others

There they are Mr. Hill’s lists on the rewards of a positive mental attitude. Now, if I may add to one or two to that list it would be that, 1. a positive mental attitude gives you the power and confidence to approach any situation or circumstance and 2. It contributes to your overall performance.

Mr. Hill also talked about the penalties of a negative mental attitude and I will be sharing them with you on my next post. Enjoy

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Quote Meal

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”
GEN Colin Powell