{"id":48739,"date":"2022-04-21T17:13:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T17:13:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=48739"},"modified":"2022-10-24T16:16:02","modified_gmt":"2022-10-24T23:16:02","slug":"how-i-lead-ben-crowe-ash-bartys-mindset-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/au\/blog\/how-i-lead-ben-crowe-ash-bartys-mindset-coach\/","title":{"rendered":"How I Lead: Ben Crowe, Ash Barty\u2019s Mindset Coach"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As Nike\u2019s former International Director of Sports Marketing, Ben Crowe has worked with some of the biggest names in sport, from tennis star Andre Agassi and to Nike CEO Phil Knight.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, two of his stars rewrote the history books, Ash Barty is ranked world No.1 after winning the Australian Open, while athlete and paralympian Dylan Alcott was awarded Australian of the Year.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, the professional mentor and mindset coach shares his approach to leadership and the power of finding purpose in what you do.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The importance of owning your story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms \u2014 to choose one\u2019s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one\u2019s own way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a quote from Man\u2019s Search for Meaning<\/i><\/a>, written by one of my heroes (and arguably the world\u2019s greatest psychiatrist) Viktor Frankl, who penned his book in just nine days after being liberated from Auschwitz concentration camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s your decisions, not your conditions or environment, that determine your mindset. That might sound simple, but it\u2019s actually very powerful. Once you realise you\u2019re the author of your own story, you have the power to write the narrative. You have the power to own your perspective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than thinking you\u2019ve got to work or you\u2019ve got to take the kids to school, try changing that \u2018o\u2019 to an \u2018e\u2019. You get to work and you get to take the kids to school. This shift in perspective takes it from an obligation to a privilege, and you begin to recognise all the wonderful things you might take for granted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m a big believer in the power of a \u2018to be\u2019 list. Before you can write a to-do list, you first need to ask yourself what you want to be. Do you want to be kind, courageous, confident? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How you think about yourself matters<\/a>. We\u2019re so good at telling ourselves \u2018shame stories\u2019. Things like we\u2019re not good enough, liked enough or successful enough. We are the stories we tell ourselves, and we can reframe how we feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I talk to my clients about having a courage mantra, something you can repeat when you’re feeling anxious or nervous. Something that makes you go tall, not small. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It could be \u2018I\u2019ve got this\u2019 or \u2018I can do this\u2019. Cathy Freeman\u2019s mantra was \u2018do what I know\u2019. Jockey Michelle Payne\u2019s is \u2018let\u2019s do this\u2019. Pick something that works for you and come back to it in those moments when you need to override your own negative perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More recently, fuelled by a desire to help as many people as possible, my team and I created the Mojo Mindset Course<\/a>. The course mirrors the same journey that I take our high profile clients on, with the aim of spreading these life-changing principles far and wide.  Since the course launched late last year, over 6000 people have signed up, including a large number of organisations looking to bring a focus on mindset into their workplace. The course is a personal leadership course to achieve confidence in yourself, in others, and in your performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three mindsets of a leadership journey<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People think confidence comes from getting results, but it can\u2019t, because you can\u2019t control the results. Confidence only ever comes from two places: training and mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are three mindsets<\/a> you can tap into to answer three of life\u2019s biggest questions: a connection mindset, purpose mindset and a performance mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connection mindset<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

With connection mindset, the question you\u2019re looking to answer is, \u2018Who am I?\u2019. It starts with focusing on the human being, rather than the human doing, and looking within. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is important because we\u2019re often so distracted by the external that we forget to look inside ourselves. We can get caught up in caring what others think of us or stressing about things outside of our control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s only once you accept yourself, celebrate your imperfections and own your story that you can go after the next big question: \u2018What do I want?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purpose mindset<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Tapping into a purpose mindset helps us work out our life’s purpose, along with our goals, dreams, values, motivations and needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What lights you up? What legacy do you want to leave? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you know who you are and what you want, you can ask, \u2018How do I get there?\u2019. This is all about performance mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Performance mindset<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Like sport, life is a performance, and there are so many distractions that can sabotage us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of the work I do with my clients centres around performance mindset. It helps answer the question of \u2018how do I get there\u2019 and means focusing your attention on the things you can control, and being the best version of you, rather than getting distracted by a fear of failure or focusing on results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ash Barty went into the 2022 Australian Open final with three words in mind: accept, celebrate and focus. Accept the things you can\u2019t control, celebrate the journey and the opportunities you\u2019re creating for yourself, and focus on what you can control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The value of vulnerability in leadership<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are two types of people on the planet right now: those who see vulnerability as a strength, and those who see it as a weakness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you see it as a weakness, you might be quite closed off or defensive, and probably not very compassionate. Feeling like you need to be a perfect leader with all the answers doesn\u2019t leave much room for compassion towards yourself, which means it\u2019s hard to be compassionate towards someone else. And without compassion, you struggle to create connections, because the mask of perfection you\u2019re wearing puts a barrier between you and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you see vulnerability as a strength, and you lean into the risk and uncertainty and emotional exposure that comes with it, great things will happen. You\u2019ll be more open minded, curious and compassionate, because you don\u2019t have to be that perfect leader anymore. And you\u2019ll create those connections that we as humans are hardwired for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best leaders are those who tell the best stories; those who tell the story of who they are with their whole heart. It\u2019s impossible to be innovative without being vulnerable, so give yourself permission to be imperfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leading with purpose<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whether I\u2019m working with athletes or CEOs, I try to shift the focus from achievement to fulfilment. Rather than aiming for an extrinsic goal, like winning a Grand Slam or making a lot of money, think about the intrinsic \u2014 why you want to do something and who you want to do it for. What do you want to be celebrated for?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having this purpose in mind helps you get out of bed in the morning, and it takes away the pressure of winning. If we could all take a step back and realise that life isn\u2019t about us, and that it\u2019s about the impact we can have on someone else, we\u2019d all achieve a lot more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To me, the definition of leadership is the ability to create an environment that helps others reach their potential. It\u2019s not about you, it\u2019s about how you can help your people. So how can you be the best part of someone else\u2019s day?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about these principles and the personal leadership journey that Ash Barty and many others have been on go to MojoCrowe.com\/app<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more incredible leadership stories from global and local leaders in our How I lead series<\/b>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n