You’ve graduated, studied, worked your butt off, and you’re proud to have achieved everything you have. But is your emotional and mental process starting to make you sound generic and blocking your progress. Generic thinking, makes it difficult to do your best work amongst the thousands who think like you and who are also qualified to do your job? And, is your home life struggling under the pressure as you try for the career you want to create? Our executive coaching take this matter out of your hands to elevate all aspects of your life to put you right in the driver’s seat. Life balance, emotional intelligence, mental strength, career progression.
In today’s fast-paced, globalised world, thinking generically can be a significant barrier to personal and professional growth. With the advent of remote work and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), it’s more crucial than ever to differentiate yourself through inspired thinking. This post explores the importance of moving beyond generic thinking to achieve success in your career and personal life.
The Perils of Generic Thinking
You’ve worked hard to achieve everything you have—graduated with honours, landed a great job, and climbed the corporate ladder. Yet, there’s a nagging feeling that your mental and emotional progress isn’t keeping pace. Are you starting to sound generic? Is your thinking blocking your progress?
In the past, being generic wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you worked in a small town, your uniqueness within that community might have been enough. However, in our interconnected, global society, where remote work has become the norm, you’re competing with talent from all over the world. It’s no longer sufficient to think like everyone else; it’s time to think differently.
The Threat of AI
One of the most significant challenges of generic thinking today is the rapid advancement of AI. If your work involves technical expertise without the added value of emotional intelligence, effective communication, or strong leadership, you risk becoming redundant within the next five years. AI can easily replicate generic, technical tasks, but what it can’t replace is inspired, creative thinking.
Generic thinking also spills over into your home life. The pressure to deliver at work often leaves little time or energy for family and personal pursuits, creating a cycle of stress and dissatisfaction. The key to breaking this cycle is to think inspired.
The Power of Inspired Thinking
At the core of conscious leadership is the ability to think differently, to rise above the average and embrace inspired thinking. This shift isn’t just about career advancement—it’s about gaining better life balance, emotional intelligence, and mental strength.
One of the first steps in this journey is to get off the emotional roller coaster. The roller coaster takes you up and down with your emotions, connecting your identity too closely with how you feel. To think differently, you need to disconnect from these emotions, recognising that while they are important, they do not define you. This disconnection allows you to tap into your true nature and inspired thinking.
The Helicopter Process
A crucial tool in this journey is what I call the helicopter process. It’s about putting yourself back in the driver’s seat of your life, earning your way forward using your mind rather than time. When you think generically, time becomes your only currency, making it difficult to stand out or scale your efforts. However, when you sell your thinking—your unique perspective—you offer something invaluable that can’t be easily replicated.
Beyond Engagement: The Role of Self-Leadership
Engagement has become a buzzword in corporate leadership, often tied to performance evaluations and bonuses. However, true engagement isn’t about superficial tactics like after-work parties or team-building exercises. It’s about becoming a role model whose vision and purpose are so magnetic that others naturally want to follow.
To achieve this, you must move beyond polarised thinking, where everything is seen as either right or wrong. This binary approach, while common, is unsustainable and will not lead to lasting success. Inspired thinking, on the other hand, transcends these limitations and positions you as a forward-thinking leader.
The Seven Levels of the Brain
Scientifically, the human brain operates on seven levels of consciousness. The lowest level is dominated by polarised thinking—extreme highs and lows associated with emotions like anger, fear, and guilt. This level, while necessary in dangerous situations, is not where you want to operate regularly.
As you move up the levels, you encounter ‘should do’ thinking—where community norms and groupthink dominate. However, this is still a form of generic thinking that creates stress and holds you back. True progress comes when you reach the higher levels of ‘choose to’ and ‘love to’ thinking, where inspiration and conscious leadership reside.
The Holistic Approach to Inspired Leadership
It’s essential to recognise that you are a holistic being—compartmentalising your life doesn’t work in the long run. For example, you might excel at work but struggle in your personal life. This imbalance will eventually catch up with you, affecting your overall performance and well-being.
Inspiration is not a constant state; it fluctuates between order and chaos. The goal is to learn how to quickly move from the lower levels of motivation to the higher levels of inspiration, spending most of your time at the top of this trajectory. This approach not only improves your leadership but also attracts success and engagement, allowing you to earn with your mind rather than your time.
Conclusion
Breaking free from generic thinking is not just a professional necessity; it’s a pathway to a more fulfilling life. By embracing inspired thinking, you can differentiate yourself in a crowded marketplace, lead with authenticity, and achieve greater balance in all areas of your life. The future belongs to those who can think beyond the generic and lead with inspiration.
This is Chris, wishing you a great day. Bye for now.
Latest Posts