Lead Like You Mean It: The Mindset That Builds Legacy, Not Just Business

Welcome to LegalBiz Cafe! Digitally remastered with AI, in this podcast series, Attorney Shaune B. Arnold gives to frustrated professionals like YOU the tools and resources you need to make the LEAP to entrepreneurship so you can start, build or fix a business you will absolutely LOVE. 

In this thought-provoking episode, Shaune reveals the true essence of leadership. From self-accountability and perseverance to disrupting the status quo and embracing diversity, this is a masterclass in building not just a business—but a legacy. Sharpen your mindset and lead with purpose, today. 

Transcript

Hello, friends! Welcome to legal biz cafe. I’m attorney Shaune B. Arnold and I’m so happy to be with you. I’ve been thinking lately about the mindset of a leader, what it takes to be a leader, and what leadership means to your business. Pretty heady stuff! But before we go Pied Piping, I want to chat for a moment about what we’re doing here on LegalBiz Café.

We look at various issues that are of value to entrepreneurs to get you into business. We also consider what to do if you find yourself feeling frustrated because being an entrepreneur wasn't quite what you thought it was going to be. You find yourself feeling like a hamster on a wheel just sort of chasing around and not really functioning well and getting the things that you want out of being in business.

You know that I have another show called Your Business, Accelerated! On that show, we deal with the hardcore business and legal issues that can tank your business overnight. When you listen to LegalBiz Café AND Your Business, Accelerated! you put arrows in your quiver and make yourself an entrepreneur warrior, not a worrier. You’ll develop your true leadership potential and become a Leader-preneur.

I believe that leadership begins with me, but it doesn't end with me. …What do I mean by that? I mean that very few people achieve any real wealth or accomplishments working alone. We are social creatures. We need each other. We love each other, we work with each other. We seek each other out. There are very few of us that could live our lives out on the top of a mountain, be snowed in all winter and not going stir crazy.

There are probably 10 or so elements to a leader's mindset, and I guess they kind of break down to how I see myself internally, and how I see myself in the world. Of course, those concepts really apply to the individual, but businesses are made up of individuals.

In looking at what it means to view myself internally, to be a leader and to develop my internal leadership skills, I have to have clear accountability to myself to get the job done. I've often heard that character is that thing you do when no one's watching. I agree. That represents clear accountability, which is absolutely necessary to really be a leader in the world because leaders need to be consistent.

And if you're not accountable to yourself, then you're going to be all over the map as a leader. You're going to perform well sometimes and not perform at all other times.

A leader also has to have relentless perseverance. Murphy's Law says anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Murphy's Law will always operate when you're trying to do that which is most important to you. Of course it will. But, you have to persevere. You’ve gotta make it through. You have to keep the right perspective.

Often, we just have to breathe. Sometimes, we need to slow down or stop altogether. Finding inner peace will help us really determine what we want and what's important to us. Sometimes we lose sight of the real goal because we get caught up in the day to day madness of our lives.

We have to maintain that perspective and do whatever is necessary to allow us to step back and to get a fresh look at our situation.

Michelangelo recognized that very well. He admonished us to take a step back, way back, and take a new look, because problems will reveal themselves given a new perspective, and looking at it in a new light. I'm paraphrasing, of course.

We have to sharpen our skills. Riight? We have to keep reading. We have to keep writing. We have to keep searching and trying new things. I find that whenever I take on a new hobby, or a new area of study, for some reason, it quickly makes itself important in my business life. For example, I may find that I'm putting together an area of study, and I have no idea why I'm doing it. Very soon thereafter, I will meet someone who needs that information. I can just tie a bow on it and hand it over to them. It's really a blessing to be able to do that.

Those are the things that I think really help us figure out how we view ourselves internally, as a leader, having clear accountability to ourselves (and perhaps to others), being relentless in dogged pursuit of our goals, maintaining perspective so that we can be flexible. I mean, you really want be in dogged pursuit of your dream, but you want to be flexible in your approach so that you can come at it from a different angle. Albert Einstein said, the thinking that has gotten us this far is not going to solve this problem. We have to take a step back and take a new look. Then we need to sharpen our skills, because those new skills will give us a new perspective on that issue.

Those are the things that I think are linchpins to viewing ourselves internally as leaders, and there are others that really point to how we view ourselves in the world, and that lead to how we can act as leaders, whether we're natural leaders, or whether we have to actually work at it.

First of all, challenging the status quo, looking at what's out there and challenging it, looking at it from a different perspective and coming up with a different answer, is badass. Richard Branson has formed umpteen Virgin companies with exactly this mindset. He looked at airlines, for example, and he saw what he hated about them. He saw what everybody hated about them. Then he created Virgin, where you feel like you're at a party.

Order your food when you want it. Listen to customized entertainment. The perks just don’t stop. I know a lot of people that, once they flew Virgin, they just won't fly anything else. If they can't fly Virgin, they'll meet you at the next stop. They're not coming to your city because Virgin doesn't come to your city. I think it's pretty bizarre, but some people are like that. They really are. They really do appreciate when someone feels their pain and then develops something for the marketplace that resolves that pain.

So, think of that as you look around the marketplace, and you look for things to do to challenge the status quo. Look at industries where people have just had enough, and find a way to lead and do it better. 

Starbucks did this. You know, everybody had gone Internet. Everyone was in their cars and traveling quickly and nobody was having face to face meetings anymore. Okay. Nobody is a strong term. A lot of people were not having face to face meetings anymore.

Starbucks decided to give it all an about face. They created an atmosphere where people will slow down and sit, talk and enjoy a cup of coffee. The takeaway here is for you to challenge the status quo. Think of what's being done but think of it in a new way.

What you're really trying to do is create a legacy for yourself. And the important thing about a legacy is that it is not created on our deathbed. Our legacy is created every single day of our lives.

So, we have to get busy, right? My mentor, master motivational speaker, Mr. Les Brown often asks, “If you had to live your life all over again, do you believe you could have done more than you've done to this point?" I always feel a bit convicted by that, because I have let a few things get by me in my day, even though I feel like I've done a lot to show for myself, I could have done more.

So, you should keep creating your legacy at the forefront of your mind. I think you will summon your natural leadership capabilities by doing that. Also, I think welcoming diversity of thought is key. When people come from different backgrounds, they bring different perspectives; they bring different resources.

I think that it just enriches any environment to have people from different backgrounds in policy making positions. So, if you're a business leader, I encourage you to encourage different points of view in your business, in your sphere of influence. I think that different points of view will help you really determine the best approach going forward. So, you want to surround yourself with people who really do think differently than you. If you're all coming up with the same answer, it's pretty certain you're headed in the right direction.

Surrounding yourself with people who think differently helps you create a culture of constructive conflict. I think that is where the rubber meets the road. That is where the money is really made. I think you also want to put into play different ways of monitoring your progress, like drafting a business plan, a marketing plan, and a strategic plan for yourself for the year. All of that planning will surely help you master your leadership potential.

Ladies and gentlemen, I really want to thank you for joining me on this week's episode of legal biz cafe. I'm attorney Shaune B Arnold. I encourage you to follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter X. In all of those places you’ll find me as Shaune dot Arnold. In the meantime, and in between time, I’m reminding you, as always, to MAXIMIZE your COMPETENCE to get the CONFIDENCE YOU NEED to succeed.

I’ll see you right back here next week, on LegalBiz Café. Bye-bye, friends!