I was in a boardroom full of project managers discussing the challenges around managing construction projects.

At some point, we were discussing key performance indicators – always a contentious subject, when one of the project management leads blurted out:

We HAVE to get the project done on budget. We need to fight for every dollar to make that happen.

You could see his entire body tense up as he was saying it, bringing the battle of budget to life with every word. The room seemed to stop dead with that statement.

After getting the conversation started again, another of the leads offered his view:

We get to work to beat the budget. It’s how we know we’re successful. To make that happen, sometimes we get to be creative and try new things.

This was said with a smile on his face and members of his team nodding in agreement. With one word difference, one leader fought for something he HAD to do, while the other thrived with something he GETS to do.

Sometimes in leadership, it’s as simple as a one-word change. With that change, comes a change in mindset. From negative (and fighting) to positive (and leading). Going from “I have to” to “I get to” is one of those powerful shifts.

I learned about this from Michael Hyatt (in one of his podcasts) years ago and it was amazing how quickly my mindset shifted from fighting (even if it was only subtle) to being more positive and happier, even if sometimes the work I had to do was challenging (or I didn’t want to do it).

Try it for yourself, with my money-back guarantee (it’s free advice .. so take that as you will). I’d love to hear the results!

Get in touch.