Harnessing Mind Power: From Uncertainty to Unshakeable Confidence

Have you ever wobbled? Been unsteady, felt upset when criticized, worried about rejection, feared failure?

Have you ever been blindsided by a blindspot? Didn’t turn your head before changing lanes and got hit, didn’t read the competitors' moves and lost the business?

Have you ever pushed harder, believing heroic willpower was the only way forward against the demon you faced only to realize a slingshot like David used against Goliath was a better weapon than force?

Have you ever tried to fix a team conflict or the team’s inability to make timely decisions and your efforts were inadequate, nothing changed or things got worse?

Have you ever walked into a room and noticed someone else owned it, perhaps you were treated nicely but not as the natural leader in the conversation?

You may not realize it but each of these is a consequence of mind power problems. Your inner game is not fully set up with a winner’s mentality.

Definition of Mind Power

Mind power is the ability to use your mental capabilities to create favorable outcomes. And importantly, you are not affected by the circumstances you encounter.

For example, your response to criticism may be reactive or generative. Defensive or curious. This affects the interaction and outcomes.

In this newsletter, I'll unpack the essence of mind power, highlight its vital role in forward-thinking leadership, and provide you with actionable steps to strengthen this capability.

With mind power, your mind is strong, with unshakeable confidence to move forward consistently and continuously in the face of obstacles. Without it, you wobble.

Mind power elevates your thinking to develop not only confidence but the competence to achieve your goals.

Leading isn’t just about confidence; it’s about developing a powerful mental framework that readies you to face any challenge with decisiveness and clarity. You will own every room you walk into, recognized and respected as the natural leader.

The goal isn't to exhibit overconfidence but to cultivate a deep, unwavering self-assurance that enables you to lead proactively, competently, not just reactively.

Mind power meets crises with wisdom and foresight, steering clear of false assumptions, maintaining control under pressure, and having the guts to act at the right time.

Mastering the inner game of mind power.

Transform how you lead by mastering the game of mind power.

Do you like to play games? Your brain does.

Most people think games are for children, but the best of the best leaders are playing games of power, influence, and impact.

There are two games you must excel at in today’s unpredictable world. The inner game and the outer game, that is, your game board.

Exceptional leaders know they must win the game in their mind first. Mind power elevates your thinking to handle the high stakes, high risk, high uncertainty you face.

People are not logical, they are PSYCHO-Logical.

Our brains shut down when we perceive threats beyond our ability to adapt. I call it the Shut Down Syndrome. And so fears of failure, criticism, rejection are challenges to your unshakeable confidence.

By inner game I mean the psychological aspects, your frame of mind, and your decisions. The rules you apply in tough situations. The assumptions you have when you encounter uncertainty.

Do you believe that uncertainty is bad or dangerous?

If you feel it is bad, your inner game will be diminished, and it will reflect a limited set of choices. If you believe uncertainty, instead of being bad, leads to possibility, the future will be brighter. You can find options and alternatives.

Apply Your Mind Power

Mind power transcends the simplistic notion of positive thinking. It represents a profound mastery of your mental processes to achieve specific, desirable outcomes.

Mindpower moves you from feeling wobbly to a winning mentality.

A winner's orientation is independent of the circumstances and challenges you face. It doesn’t mean you will always succeed. It means it’s game on and you are in it to win it.

By harnessing your mind power, you consciously direct your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in ways that enhance your performance and well-being.

If you are upset, ask yourself what is the story you are telling yourself. Is it an energizing story or an enervating story? Is it helping you or weakening you?

A CEO was troubled with the lack of impact he wanted. He found himself controlling and pushing members of his team. Even barking orders. He recognized he was acting like a General with drill sergeant messaging. The CEO had to decide how he would interact. When he realized it was actually the opposite of what he wanted he began to consider alternative behaviors.

In our coaching session, we discussed him being a Conductor of a musical orchestra. This change achieved big results. Instead of giving orders and over controlling he sought to bring out the best in his team. They thrived and he was not only relieved but felt a new enthusiasm for leading.

This change requires him to shift his assumptions of what a good leader does, shift his perception of how to lead and shift his identity to be musical conductor bringing out the best in others, and himself. It required him to uncover the hidden game of patterns.

To be clear, this transformation doesn’t happen without embracing mind power. His brain was run by fear of losing control and worrying about being criticized for failure. Underneath he felt inadequate, and his brain took the only root it was familiar with - barking orders.

Most of us don't realize that we can shape our thoughts, elevate our thinking to connect the dots and navigate rejection and fear more skillfully.

There is always going to be criticism, rejection, blame and failure. How your mind relates to the assumptions you have will determine not only your emotional well being but your ability to navigate and win more often.

For example, how do you relate to pressure?

Pressure is to be avoided

Pressure is stressful

Pressure is part of the job

Pressure creates diamonds.

One highly skilled entrepreneur said he never experiences pressure, and sleeps well at night because he bulletproofs the decisions. This isn’t about denial but tapping into the real power of your mind to live strongly, live fully and excel in the challenges you encounter

Instead of being at the mercy of an untrained mind, you can elevate your thinking when you face uncertainty. You accomplish this by directing your thinking. With practice you can connect the dots to see what others don’t see.

How is it for you?

1) On a scale of 1 to 10 (1—------------------10) to what extent can you control your thoughts in times of uncertainty and stress?

2) a. What is the impact of not having control over your thinking on your leadership, team, performance and business outcomes?

b. What impact will elevating your thinking have on your near-term future over the next 3-6 months?

3) Are you willing to move mind power forward? Are you committed to achieving a winning mentality?

This control of your mind is tangible and quantifiable, allowing you to navigate life's complexities with confidence and precision.

Strengthening Leadership Mind Power

For leaders, mastering mind power is crucial for handling both personal and professional challenges effectively.

Here’s how you can actively enhance your mental strength to lead more effectively:

• Examine Your Thinking Patterns: Leadership isn’t just about making logical decisions; emotions and past experiences heavily influence your actions. Reflect on the 'rules' you live by—how are they shaping your leadership in your company, your relationships, and during personal trials?
• Face Your Fears: As a leader, the barriers to your growth often stem from fear—whether it’s fear of rejection, fear of failure, or sensitivity to criticism. If you tend to blame or hear lots of blaming, consider if behind it is a fear. Recognizing and confronting these fears is a sign of strong leadership. Remember you are challenging the fear, not threatening yourself.
• Shift How You View Risk and Uncertainty: Rather than viewing risks or uncertainties as threats, successful leaders see them as challenges to embrace or opportunities for growth. This mind shift is essential because, under stress, it's easy for the brain’s panic button—the amygdala—to override your capacity for clear, rational decision-making.

Action Steps to Rewire Your Inner Game

Rewiring your inner game is a continual process, much like fine-tuning an instrument to ensure it always sounds its best.

Whatever the troublesome thought is, ask yourself if that thought is helpful or hindering you. Mind power rapidly adapts, dropping false assumptions that are counterproductive.

Examine if the thought is helpful. For example, if the thought is ‘pushing yourself harder will always make you succeed’. Is that absolutely true? Can it actually be hindering you? There is a time for pushing harder, but always? Only you can answer.

To be free, reflect upon the story in your head, the rules that are controlling your emotions. Question your assumptions - are they determining the range of choices and your range of feelings.

Through your natural ability for pattern recognition, and applying penetrating insight, and sound judgment you adapt rapidly and make wise choices.

If you have been acting based upon a false assumption, take a moment and realize the consequences. Is it serving you in some capacity? For example, I discovered that pushing harder could go beyond my doubts. That’s a great insight. But it doesn’t mean i always have to default to that behavior.

I have a Chinese finger cuff sitting on my desktop. It reminds me that sometimes I'm doing the exact opposite of what I need to do to change the situation. It’s a mind-power tool.

When you reset the false idea, you will tap your natural inner unshakeable confidence. Just like when you were a kid you didn’t worry about learning to walk. You simply failed forward. You kept failing until you walked. It actually enabled you to walk. Your healthy, natural mind power was at work. You didn’t worry about what others thought but you were having fun mastering your environment.

Real-World Application

One of the tools my teacher Andrew asks is, “Does this thought help you or harm you?”

When facing a challenging event, such as delivering a sales pitch that doesn't result in a sale, it's crucial to examine the meaning you ascribe to the situation and the thoughts you have about yourself.

An event occurs. (a sales pitch, no sale)

What meaning do you ascribe to the situation? Frustration, upset, the customer is closed-minded, the product doesn’t sell itself, this is terribly hard. Blaming the situation or people.

Now pay close attention to any attribution about yourself. I’m not a good salesperson, I’m not good at this. I’m inadequate (judging myself as not good enough). I can’t handle this rejection. I’m going to get blamed for this. I should quit. A spiraling down about your sense of self and identity.

Human Dynamics:

• Safety in the Familiar: We feel secure when we’re in familiar situations. Criticism or blame can cast us into unfamiliar territory where doubt thrives.
• Attachment to False Thoughts: Believing negative thoughts about ourselves creates a perceived threat, making us feel unsafe.
• Fight or Flight Response: Our brains sense danger, leading to adaptation or shutdown. Failure to adapt results in feelings of exclusion and risk.
• Perception of Uncertainty: Viewing uncertainty as negative increases the stakes and pressure, leading to a retreat to familiar, we hope the tribe will accept us back in to find safety. We play small.

Transformational intent:

If instead, you put your mind's power on your side and cut off the negative thinking.

Andrew asks, “Is that absolutely true that not making a sale means you are inadequate as a person?”

Did the thought of being inadequate help or hinder you?

Or did you simply not make a sale, and the failure can lead to learning what to do differently?

Focus on the curiosity of unlearning the false belief. What you will discover is a deeper supportive feeling arises, feeling stronger based upon reality. With this inner strength, the trajectory of your story transforms instantly. Your updated identity enables you to correct your course of action, feeling confident and more inner power to create what matters to you.

Feeling inspired and want to delve deeper into transforming your inner game?

Book a session with me, and let’s unlock your mind power together. Schedule your transformative session today.

About Steven Feinberg, PhD

Steven Feinberg, PhD., is a distinguished Neurostrategist, Executive Coach, and High Performance Team Builder, renowned for enhancing the capabilities of some of America's sharpest and smartest brains and businesses. His current work is on Mastering Your Game: unlocking the hidden game of patterns to excel. With an extensive portfolio of work with CEOs, senior executives, and business founders, he has contributed to the success of organizations ranging from billion-dollar Corporate 500s to vibrant entrepreneurial startups, including notable brands such as Apple, Nvidia, Google, Oracle, LinkedIn, Wells Fargo, and Xero, ranked the Number 1 innovation startup.

For over three decades, Dr. Feinberg also served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of San Francisco School of Management. Steven guest lectured at prestigious institutions like Stanford and Cal Poly. He is the author of the highly acclaimed Amazon bestsellers, "The Advantage-Makers” and "Do What Others Say Can’t Be Done: Play The Meta-Game”

With more than 40 years of direct experience in high-pressure, high-stakes business environments. Dr. Feinberg specializes in Mastering Your Game, to excel by transforming uncertainty into opportunities for high-velocity advancement, achieving remarkable impact for both individuals and teams.