How Gratitude Builds Confidence and Leadership Influence in the AI Revolution
“Research is already starting to show that, if anything, constant interaction with electronic devices is quickly atrophying the human development of soft skills,” writes Jerry Rostad, VP of Strategy for the North Dakota University System (NDUS). What leadership influence do you demonstrate in fostering human connection amid the growing reliance on electronic devices?
Jerry Rostad
During this AI Revolution, leadership strategies need to be rooted in timeless human strengths, like character, courage, and connection. Thus, Jerry’s words, part of an OpEd, caught my attention. You can read it here: Soft skill development in the age of a digitized society.
As part of our strategic planning initiative, Envision 2035, the NDUS asked business and industry leaders to identify the most important skill needed for today’s workforce.
The top answer?
Soft skills.
Think about that: employers are looking for people who can communicate clearly, connect personally, and work well with others. The ability to think critically and integrate information isn’t just helpful — it’s essential across every sector of the economy.
But here’s the challenge. The more time we spend on digital devices, the less time we spend developing those crucial people skills. That’s especially true for younger generations who are still in their formative years.
I agree with Jerry. As a leader, you can’t ignore the effects of digitization — but you can be intentional about how you guide your Next-Gen leaders through it.
That’s where the building blocks of character, confidence, and collaboration come in. They’re not just
leadership buzzwords — they’re your toolkit for raising up Next-Gen leaders who can navigate the Age of AI wisely and ethically.
And what better foundation to build on than gratitude?
I explore this topic in Gratitude Builds Courage to Confidently Turn Scary Times into Leadership Development Adventures. Many of you gave commented how helpful the concepts were for your leadership, so I’m reposting. Some appreciated the story of our daughter, Danae, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with SISU. Others appreciated the integration of quotes from:
- Dale Carnegie,
- Zig Ziglar, and
- Daniel H. Burnham.
I’m curious what pops out for you. I look forward to hearing from you.
Gratitude Builds Courage to Confidently Turn Scary Times into Leadership Development Adventures
I often use positive “C” words in leadership development when coaching executive leaders. For example, in Millennials Matter: Proven Strategies for Building Your Next-Gen Leader, I have 3 sections:
- Character,
- Confidence, and
- Collaboration.
And, I often use these “C” words when writing or speaking:
- Courage,
- Connection, and
- Create.
Yet, “C” words aren’t always positive!
When clearing out some boxes in my office, I came across a yellow, tattered 3X5 notecard with a Dale Carnegie quote, “Don’t criticize, condemn, complain.”
As a young salesperson at Xerox Corporation, I taped this 3×5 card to my desk. It reminded me to stay focused and not get distracted by the gazillion challenges a new salesperson faces!
I’m grateful that I kept the card. Now, it’s next to my printer where I see it every day. The quote continued to remind me to
- stay focused, and
- don’t get distracted by the gazillion ideas I could pursue, but may not be the wisest use of time, talent and treasure.
Plus, it reminds me that some “C” words aren’t always positive. Some are cancerous and steal my spiritual/motivational, relational, physical, mental, and financial energy.
The Criticism-Condemn-Complain mindset sabotages your leadership impact. A negative mindset is a confidence crusher, that derails your ability to achieve your goals and dreams. It saps vital leadership energy. Momentum, stalls.
- Criticism compresses your strength. You begin doubting that you have the leadership skills to accomplish your hopes, dream, and aspirations.
- Condemnation creates confusion about your vision, values, and virtues.
- Complaining crushes your creativity. You lack the creativity and growth mindset to see new opportunities.
What experiences have you had that impacted your leadership confidence?
Gratitude is a Leadership Strategy to Build Courageous Confidence
Gratitude creates a healthy Leadership Mindset. Literally…gratitude releases positive brain juices (OK, they are neurotransmitters).
These positive brain juices help you be creative, innovative, and open to new possibilities. You have fresh insights that turn the challenges you face into leadership adventures. Your words and your thoughts are powerful.
You get to choose how your brain operates – positively or negatively. It’s a Leadership Mindset that only grows more valuable during difficult times.
Check out my video: How to Build Your Leadership Influence on Character, Confidence, and Connection:
Danae, Kilimanjaro, and a Healthy Leadership Mindset
We’ve been following Danae and her team as they climb to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. Check the full story here. They reach the final stretch – the most grueling part of their adventure. Fatigue and a lack of oxygen take their toll. Danae’s confidence is shaking. Negative thinking infiltrates her thoughts…
Here’s how she recounts those final hours…
“The sun is rising. The scenery has changed to a steep grey wall. We’re walking at a ridiculously slow pace. I’m exhausted and I’m crying. And now my mind is playing tricks on me. Something inside me starts to falter. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m able to make it to the top.”
These climbers never would summit Kilimanjaro if they gave in to a Criticism-Condemn-Complain. Danae continues…
“Our guide gently pulls on my hand, not allowing me to stop. Through my tears, I ask, ‘How much further?’
He shrugs his shoulders and simply says, ‘You will make it to the top.’
He’s not answering my question. He just says you will make it! I’m so grateful to hear those words. I’ve been crying for the last three hours, and yet, I know I’m going to make it. I know I will not give up. Those words of
encouragement are the boost I needed.”
Danae confronts her negative thoughts. Then, she turns them into a driving force that keeps her moving forward.
She’s grateful for the encouraging words from her guide. These words ignite her Courageous Confidence.
What might you do to nurture a courageously confident mindset?
3 Leadership Development Steps to Activate Gratitude and Courageous Confidence
As a successful leader, what might you do to deal with the negative impact of the Criticism-Condemn-Complain Culture?
A leadership mindset that focuses on gratitude builds your courageous confidence and…
- Spurs leadership growth opportunities to crush criticism.
- Strengthens your vision, values, and virtues to cancel condemnation.
- Sparks innovation and creativity to cure complaining.
Reflect on Dale Carnegie’s advice, “Don’t criticize, condemn, complain,” and consider these 3 leadership development steps.
Step #1: Gratitude Spurs Leadership Development Opportunities to Crush Criticism
As a writer, I often choose to place a manuscript or article in the hands of an editor. I await their critique of my work. There are two types of critics:
- External critics – the experts working for publishing companies.
- Internal critics – family and friends – who share “helpful remarks” (that I often don’t find beneficial at all).
Ah…there’s a third critic, the worst kind:
- Intrapersonal critics – that self-destructing trickster, talking in my mind
Sometimes, the criticism pushes me into my Low Confidence Zone. I experience self-doubt and uncertainty. I call these critics my “Confidence Crushers.”
Regardless of the critic, I have a choice…I can react by feeling less confident about my work. Or, I can be grateful for the insightful comments and advice. My leadership development message is strengthened. The second option is the key to a healthy Leadership Mindset.
You also encounter criticism, don’t you?
In Danae’s story, it’s that third critic, self-doubt, that’s the troublemaker. It causes her to question her ability to push through the fatigue and lack of oxygen. But then, her guide’s encouragement ignites an immense feeling of gratitude. It is the spark she needs to regain her courageous confidence.
Top Tip: A special brand of confidence fuels your ability to push through. A courageous Sisu Confidence! Are you familiar with SISU? If not, read more about this powerful word in my article, How Might Grit and Sisu Courage Improve Your Leadership Strategy?
Step #2: Gratitude Strengthens your Vision, Values, and Virtues to Cancel Condemnation
(LINDA, LINK TO INTRO) In the Introduction to this series, I discuss some of the challenges that we experience in this Era of Exponential Progress and Digital Disruption. It’s all nerve-racking – from the unpredictable financial markets and global conflict to the unorthodox things being taught to my grandchildren in school. Sometimes, it shakes my confidence. Dare you stand up to a Cancel Culture that attacks your vision, values, and virtues? Or should you compromise and choose the go-along-get-along strategy?
It seems like we’re living in a Criticism-Condemn-Complain Culture on steroids!
Many leaders tell me that they feel like they’ve been slammed to their knees, the wind has been knocked out of them, and they’ve been shaken to their core.
If you’re feeling discouraged, this is a great time to double-check and recalibrate your personal Vision, Values, and Virtues Statements. Reflect on your past and current achievements with gratitude. Use those insights as stepping stones for building your preferred future. For a fresh perspective, get your VVV ebook here.
Top Tip: Commit to building a healthy Leadership Mindset by refining and expanding your Vision, Values, and Virtues. Knowing who you are and what you are called to do, strengthens your courageous, confident mindset.
Step #3: Gratitude Sparks Innovation and Creativity to Cure Complaining
Danae and her friends have many reasons to complain during those final hours….
“You’re walking too fast (or too slow), the guide chose the wrong route…”
Yet, they know complaining is destructive. A negative mindset stalls their climbing ability, stealing their confidence to reach the summit.
Instead, they choose gratefulness. They are grateful for the encouragement from an experienced guide and coach. Plus, they encourage each other. It’s a healthy Leadership Mindset of gratitude that gets them to the top!
Maybe you also have a lengthy list of valid reasons to complain about what’s going on in the world!
Personal confession: I sometimes catch myself complaining and grumbling. And, if I don’t catch myself, I have family members who love to hold me accountable, i.e. our three Millennial children. They want to make certain that Mom is taking her own medicine! When they confront me, I’m grateful for their ability to spot that it’s time for me to take a strong dose of my favorite antidote – gratefulness.
Top Tip: Complaining steals your confidence, creativity, and courage. You get stuck in fear. I discuss this alarming cultural trend in How Do You Confront Fear to Strengthen Your Leadership Development? Read it for insights on how to turn fear into courageous confidence.
Gratitude Sparks the Courage to Lead with Confidence
As a leader, you are called to make a positive difference in a chaotic world. Here are some important questions to consider…
- How are negative “C” words impacting your leadership journey?
- Do they strengthen your ability to be a positive change agent?
- Or, are there negative repercussions?
- How are you harnessing the power of gratitude to build Courageous Confidence?
When Danae shares her adventure of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, she says… “I have always known that one of the most important attributes that distinguishes those who make it to the top of this mountain is not physical ability, but the mindset of believing that you will make it.”
Hearing those words from my daughter almost gets me jumping up and down with joy! We all need this courageously confident mindset for our leadership mountains.
And that’s why Dale Carnegie’s quote, “Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain,” still rings true today.
Courageous Confidence – Counteract the Criticize, Condemn, and Complain Culture as you expand your leadership influence. Discover how a healthy Leadership Mindset of gratitude spurs both courage and confidence.
When cleaning out some Xerox files, I found that I had laminated this quote by Daniel H. Burnham. It remains an appropriate challenge for each of us in this Era of Exponential Progress:
“Make no little plans, they have no magic to stir men’s blood, and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency. Remember, too, that our children and grandchildren are going to do things that would stagger our imagination. Let your watchword be order and let your beacon be beauty.”
And, I made this Zig Ziglar quote into a poster. It is true for all leadership progress.
“When you do the things you have to do when you have to do them, the day will come when you can do the things you want to do when you want to do them.”
Your leadership matters, NOW, more than ever.
Additional Leadership Development Resources: One of the biggest saboteurs of courageous confidence is the enemy within. That’s why I have dedicated several chapters in Millennials Matter to these important areas. These chapters are powerful resources. They can boost your leadership mindset to build courageous Sisu confidence.
- Chapter 10, Break the Chains of Negative Thinking
- Chapter 19, Develop a Disciplined Action Mindset
- Chapter 20, Use the Catalytic Question
Transforming negative mindsets into positive action expands leadership influence. In fact, one of the chapters in Millennials Matter: Proven Strategies for Building Your Next-Gen Leaders tackles this topic – Break the Chains of Negative Thinking.
This article was featured in my 2nd March Newsletter. Here’s a link to the newsletter – there are more articles and videos you may find useful. Danita Bye March 2023 Newsletter
You can read all the articles in the Sisu Courage Series by clicking on the links below:
How do You Confront Fear to Strengthen Your Leadership Development?
Leadership Strategy Insights from Courageously Taking on Mount Kilimanjaro
A Courageous Character Keeps Your Leadership Development Journey on Track
Gratitude Builds Courage to Confidently Turn Scary Times into Leadership Development
How to Courageously Connect to Improve Your Leadership Performance
Leadership Development Lesson: Gratitude anchors leadership in courage, confidence, and connection.
Leadership Development Question: What’s one area where gratitude could shift your leadership perspective?
Copyright, Danita Bye (This article is NOT AI-generated) 😊
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