Peek inside the heads of amazingly successful leaders, Solutions! Online Exclusives, August 2003

PEEK INSIDE THE HEADS OF AMAZINGLY SUCCESSFUL LEADERS

by Michael Mercer, Ph.D.

Would you like to know what really goes on inside the heads of astoundingly successful leaders? Here is your chance. Part of the research for my book Absolutely Fabulous Organizational Change involved asking highly successful executives to take a customized pre-employment test (my Abilities& Behavior Forecaster.) Each of the executives I tested have planned and implemented organizational change resulting in profit improvement of US$ 10 million to US$ 1 billion. They hail from America’s best-run companies, including IBM, VF Corporation, Intuit, Ritz-Carlton, Outback Steakhouse, Campbell Soup, Excell Global Services, Robert Mondavi Corporation, and more. In other words, I discovered what the best-of-the-best leaders at top-notch companies really are like—and now you can too.

Optimism fuels the leader’s success
Pessimism never won any battle.
—Dwight D. Eisenhower

My research revealed that fabulous leaders are incredibly optimistic people. These leaders consistently scored high on the test’s Optimism scale.

• focuses on solutions, not problems
• possesses a compelling vision for an exciting life
• spends most of his or her time working on goals to achieve the vision
• persists
• takes total self-responsibility for personal successes and failures

For example, as Leonardo Inghilleri, senior vice president at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, emphatically told me, “Optimism is absolutely significant. I’m an optimist in life—both my professional and personal life. You have to be positive. Nothing positive is created through negative thinking. Starting when I was a teenager, I always have had a personal mission statement to help me in my life. It helps me know where I’m going, even when I am challenged.”

Or, as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."

The creative connection
In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.
—Coco Chanel

My results show that successful leaders are extremely creative. On the Forecaster tests, the leaders’ scores show a classic pattern for creative people. Specifically, they typically score both

• low on the Following Rules scale
• high on the Creativity Motivation scale

If you think about this, it makes perfect sense. After all, what is creativity? It is not always following all the rules, as reflected by the leaders’ low score on the test’s Following Rules scale; but that is not enough. On top of that, these leaders also feel strongly motivated or enthused to do creative work. This is evidenced by their high score on Creativity Motivation. When you combine creative thinking with motivation to actually do innovative work, you wind up with the hallmarks of intensely creative people. Indeed, absolutely fabulous leaders certainly excel at conjuring up innovative, yet practical, solutions to propel their companies to vastly boost profits.

In fact, a chief reason for high-level success in business and in life is a person’s ability to continually create desirable opportunities. General Douglas MacArthur summed this up when he pointed out, “There is no security in this life. There is only opportunity.”

Tremendous brainpower
To the dull mind, all of nature is leaden. To the illuminated mind, the whole world sparkles with light.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Absolutely fabulous leaders usually are very, very smart people. This was verified in their scores on the Abilities & Behavior Forecaster tests. Specifically, these amazing leaders scored amazingly high on the test’s Problem-Solving scale. This scale measures a person’s general level of intelligence or overall brainpower. The successful leaders also scored high on three other test scales of mental abilities: vocabulary, arithmetic, and grammar.

What does this mean for you? For starters, if you are a bright person, use your brains! If you have average intelligence, then do everything you can to boost your brainpower.

Take advantage of this old saying, “Use it or lose it.” First, read books and articles to expand your mental horizons. Second, find absolutely fabulous leaders to be your role models. Carefully observe how they think through situations. Third, get the nutrition and rest you need to use your brain at its peak potential. Fourth, practice thinking through situations, and discuss your ideas with highly successful people who will help you sharpen your thinking. Overall, make sharp thinking into your habit.

You now have the opportunity to examine yourself. How do you stack up compared to incredibly accomplished leaders? Precisely what is your own level of optimism, creativity, and intelligent thinking? By peeking into the heads of magnificent leaders, you can use them as your role models when you decide how to improve what is inside your head.

About the Author: Michael Mercer, Ph.D., is a testing expert, conference speaker, and founder of The Mercer Group, Inc. in Barrington, Illinois, USA. Dr. Mercer developed the widely used “Abilities & Behavior Forecaster™” Tests. He authored five books, including “Absolutely Fabulous Organizational Change™.” You can subscribe to Dr. Mercer’s free E-Newsletter at www.drmercer.com. You can contact him at (847) 382-0690.
© Copyright 2003 Michael Mercer, Ph.D.