Embracing Change: A Right Path to Successful Leadership

Mohammad Rahighi
6 min readMay 19, 2024

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People think that if they were born again, they would live their lives differently. They would be happier, more successful, and make fewer mistakes. They believe they can rebuild everything from scratch, solid and flawless. However, this is not true. If we had the courage to live differently, the power to change, and the ability to create, we could build our lives from this point on. This article explores the importance of growth, understanding one’s circle of competence, and adopting a mindset conducive to success. By embracing change and focusing on personal development, individuals can create a solid foundation for a rewarding and prosperous life.

Embracing Growth and Change

Growth means change. If you want to improve yourself, you must constantly change and strive for improvement. This involves venturing into new fields. By focusing on new things that fall within your competence, you can gain leadership skills and teach others the courage to change. Sometimes, you have to step out of the safe boundaries you have set for yourself and realize that it was not as secure as you thought.

Understanding Your Circle of Competence

Know your circle of competence and stick to it. Within this circle, you have abilities that you are highly skilled in. Outside of it, there are things that you either partially understand or know nothing about. The size of this circle is not crucial, but knowing its boundaries is essential.

Recognize your strengths and focus on them. By concentrating on your circle of competence, you not only gain material benefits but also experience emotional well-being. Feeling the value of mastery in one or more limited areas is a satisfying feeling that improves your efficiency and eliminates the dilemma of accepting or rejecting responsibilities. Don’t blame yourself for your weaknesses. It doesn’t matter if you are average or below average in a few areas. What matters is that you excel in at least one area, ideally being the best.

Your circle of competence saves you time compared to others. Within this circle, you are less likely to fall victim to illusions and errors. Moreover, your risk-taking is better informed in this area because you have enough information and predictive abilities. Once you achieve this, you will have a solid foundation for a good life. Every hour you spend within your circle of competence is worth thousands of hours spent elsewhere.

Change Your Mindset

When you change your mindset, your feelings change as well. Changing your feelings leads to a change in behavior, which ultimately changes your life. In other words, everything begins and ends with your mindset.

Everyone has weaknesses, and it’s important to be aware of them. The way to do this is to minimize the consequences they have. Leaders can delegate tasks they are not proficient in to others. For example, they can delegate task details to others. Delegation can be used for tasks in which you are weak, and it can be controlled to achieve the desired results. Someone who wants to do everything themselves and take all the credit will never be a good leader. Proper delegation of tasks is an important characteristic of effective leadership.

The Path to Success

What we see as success is often just the tip of the iceberg, and what led to that success is often hidden from view. Success is the result of hard work, perseverance, endurance, late nights, saying no, sacrificing transient pleasures, discipline, and overcoming obstacles, opposition, failures, and risks.

No single factor alone will lead to victory in life. Several factors play a role in achieving success, and when you combine these different factors, you have various paths to success. To succeed in life, you need to learn principles and acquire sufficient skills.

Here are 10 Transformational Tips for Success:

  1. Do things that others refuse to do.
  2. Strive to be known for your performance.
  3. Surround yourself with people aligned with your goals.
  4. Step outside the boundaries of your comfort zone.
  5. Set standards for yourself.
  6. Work to improve existing methods.
  7. Embrace a full work calendar without fear.
  8. Consider speed as a form of power.
  9. Always keep your goals in mind.
  10. Remember that happiness is paramount.

Perseverance and Flexibility

Perseverance is the most valuable factor in shaping the quality of life, even more important than talent. Therefore, nobody has ever achieved a goal simply because they were interested in it. Temporary failures can provide insights and abilities that lead to even greater successes in the future.

The Formula for Success is as Follows:

  • First, specify your desire with precision, as clarity of expression is a form of power.
  • Take action because having a desire alone is not enough.
  • Evaluate whether your approach to achieving your goal is useful and effective. Avoid wasting your energy on worthless hypotheses.
  • Adjust your assumptions and work methods as necessary to reach your goal. Flexibility allows for new ideas and opinions, leading to better results.

And don’t forget to experience pleasure and joy along the way to your goal. You’re not supposed to wait until you reach your goal to be happy.

Leadership and Goal Setting

Leaders should always have an answer to an important question for their team, a question that children ask their parents when embarking on a long journey: Where are we going, and how do we want to get there? In other words, what is our goal, and how do we measure progress along the way?

These questions may seem simple, but they often present one of the biggest challenges for teams, units, and companies. What does success look like? If we were to measure the level of success on a scoreboard, how would it be measured?

Clearly identifying these priorities and how to measure them is one of the most crucial tasks for a leader, as most of the work people do stems from those goals. These priorities must be set with the same precision as the trajectory of a rocket launch because even the smallest miscalculation can lead the team off course over time.

Our lives are filled with opportunities and challenges. The key is to make the most of these opportunities and see challenges as opportunities for growth. Always remember that leadership begins with self-change and continues with influencing others.

Key Takeaways

Maximizing personal growth and embracing change are integral to achieving success in life. By continuously striving for improvement, understanding our strengths, and focusing on our circle of competence, we can create a solid foundation for a fulfilling life. Success is a result of perseverance, hard work, and the ability to adapt to challenges. As we embark on our journey toward success, let us remember that true leadership begins with self-transformation and extends to positively influencing others. By embracing change in ourselves, we can inspire change in the world around us.

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Mohammad Rahighi
Mohammad Rahighi

Written by Mohammad Rahighi

Agile Coach & Transformation Specialist. I help organizations innovate and deliver value by creating the lasting conditions in which people and products thrive.

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