Leadership is often about putting people at ease and building confidence in others that problems will be overcome. If you begin to show signs of doubt, so will your employees. What you say to yourself in these situations has a direct impact on how you feel about the situation and how you are likely to respond.

What is your basic, underlying belief about problems? If you believe they are "bad" things, then of course when a problem arises you would naturally feel bad and react negatively.

If on the other hand, if you believe problems are going to happen and they give you opportunities to learn and grow, your attitude when they arise will be more positive. Think about what you have learned in the past from having problems or challenges to deal with.

When faced with a difficult challenge or a negative result:

1. Ask yourself, "What can I learn from this challenging situation?" Even if it is a bad situation, you have the opportunity to learn from it.
2. See mistakes as learning experiences. When team members make mistakes, avoid being a "blame assigner" and ask, "What can we learn from this?"
3. When you have negative feelings or thoughts about a situation, keep them to yourself unless it is necessary to share them with the team.

Keep reading our Weekly Leadership Tips for ways you can create a work environment where all team members are engaged, committed to your organization, and passionate about doing a great job every time.

Share these ideas with others. They may request their own free subscription by going to our contact form and clicking on Weekly Leadership Tips.

© 2007 Keith Ayers. All rights reserved.

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