Accountable Leaders Live in the Mindset of Abundance by Sam Silverstein
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
Do you begin with the assumption that there is enough for everybody? That a rising tide lifts all boats? That giving makes more of a positive impact on the world you live in than taking? That when you look for, and find, something you can give to a person, or to a team, to an organization, everybody benefits? That the best way to support a relationship is to find something you can give to the other person in that relationship? Accountable leaders do. They are committed to the concept of “It’s all of us,” which means, among other things, “There is enough for all of us.”
This is the Accountable Mindset of Abundance. It is the expression of the much-discussed principle that you get what you focus on giving. Many people refer to this idea as the Law of Attraction. I prefer to think of it as a basic principle of human fulfillment. I believe abundance and possibility is our “factory setting”—we just lose sight of that sometimes. But we can always hit the reset button.
There is something special that happens when you give—and give freely. If you operate from the position that you are looking for opportunities to give without remorse, without feeling coerced, if you truly give from your heart, something opens up inside of you, and new possibilities present themselves in support of the generosity you have initiated.
As you might expect, this Mindset shows up in the act of giving. People who live in a Gratitude Mindset make a point of sharing freely of their time, their talents, and their treasures—meaning all their available resources.
It is worth mentioning here that giving from a Mindset of Abundance does not mean making a decision to give because you already have a lot and you are willing to share what you think you will not be needing. It is making a decision to give because you know much has been given to you, because you believe the source of those gifts is limitless, and because you believe that what you have been given was given to you conditionally, not simply as a result of your efforts or your merit. It was given to you on loan, with the understanding that you would take good care of the resources and pass them on to someone else. Another word for this Mindset is stewardship. If you believe in Abundance, you believe that we come to this world empty-handed, we leave it empty-handed, and in the period in between those two events, it is our job to be a good steward of the resources we have been entrusted with. You do not worry about running out. If someone needs something, and you feel you can make both of your lives better by giving it, you give it.
The opposite of this Abundance Mindset is the operating assumption that there is not enough for everyone, and that we are justified in grabbing what little is available for our own benefit. This is the toxic Mindset of Scarcity. It produces fear, lack, and conflict. It undermines and eventually destroys, not just working relationships, but all relationships. It also runs counter to the goal of helping people to reach their full potential by elevating them. When I am in a Scarcity Mindset, I am hoarding resources for myself rather than looking for ways to give them to you.
The accountable leader chooses Abundance over Scarcity!
Sam Silverstein is dedicated to empowering people to live accountable lives, transform the way they do business, and create a more accountable world. He helps companies create an organizational culture that prioritizes and inspires accountability. His latest book is The Theory of Accountability: Building a Truly Accountable, High-Performance, High-Growth Life for Yourself and Your Organization. You can follow Sam on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.