5 key competencies required to go from effective leader to game changer

Maria Skłodowska-Curie. Thomas Edison. Clara Barton. Harry Selfridge. Jesus. These men and women were not only leaders, but they were more than that — they were game changers. They redefined the worlds of social impact, science and business. Our history has been scattered with men and women who, like you, see more, dream more and have the power to change the game.

What does it really take to be a GameChanger? We all know that every one of us has the potential to redefine business and chart new courses, but not everyone does. There seems to be certain elements that launch some people into a game changing future, while others are fighting to keep up, or, worse yet, maintaining mediocrity.

For your inspiration here are five powerful leaders and how they used five of the ten key elements that are necessary to take leaders and businesses from good to game changers:

1. Developing the Game Changing Mindset

Born in Warsaw, Poland, Maria Skłodowska-Curie changed the game. In a world in which higher education was dominated by men, especially the subjects such as mathematics, science and physics. She was focused and determined to succeed. Her game changing mindset, among other things, ultimately led her to discovering radioactivity and changed the game in the way we continue to fight cancer today. She was the first woman to ever receive a Nobel Prize and the first person ever to receive two. Maria Skłodowska-Curie once said, “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.” This sums up her game changing mindset and she has paved the way for game changing women around the world as an example of focus, goal setting, cultural change and overcoming the status quo.

2. Creating Game Changing Teams

When you imagine Thomas Edison developing the working lightbulb, you may imagine a creative genius, alone in his room, working countless hours to, after 1,000 attempts, finally get a working, incandescent light bulb. While that is what we may imagine, history shows us this isn’t an accurate picture. Perhaps his greatest invention wasn’t the light-bulb, but rather an incredible team that would ultimately change our world as we know it. Thomas Edison had created a high caliber team and they worked together in a state of the art laboratory which was able to resource the team with everything they would need to ultimately succeed. Game Changers are passionate about taking their teams to the next level and developing them to succeed in a competitive market. Game Changers, like Edison, know: if you are lonely at the top, it’s because you haven’t taken anyone with you.

3. Implementing Game Changing Strategies

In the chaos of war, when lives are on the line and supplies are low, a game changing strategy literally means the difference between life and death. Clara Barton had a life saving strategy. She created a network that allowed supplies to be collected and distributed efficiently during the American Civil War. Following the war, she organized The Office of Missing Soldiers, which ultimately located more than 22,000 missing men. Her ability to create game strategies would continue to meet the needs of humanitarian efforts through her creation of the American Red Cross. Each year, The American Red Cross responds to over 70,000 disasters around the world. With a clear vision and purpose Game Changing Strategies won’t simply launch a leader or business forward, they have the potential to launch the world forward.

4. Committing to Game Changing Customer Experiences

Harry Selfridge. A man who changed the game through customer experience. While you may not know his name, you will certainly know a simple phrase he coined. In a time when London shopping was limited to small stores and it was done primarily for purchasing daily necessities, Selfridge had a vision to create a guest experience that pushed the cultural boundaries and made shopping a pleasurable experience. For some it was the first time they, as customers, could touch merchandize, try things on, be overwhelmed by visual beauty and stand in wonder at incredible window displays. What was Selfridges game changing slogan? „The customer is always __________”. Exactly. „The customer is always right.” Selfridge’s focus on customer experience has forced businesses across the world to adapt their business philosophies and methods and a powerful customer experience has taken leader after leader and company after company from good to game changer.

5. Mastering Game Changing Communication

There is one speaker who has told story after story that has become a part of the fabric of our communication. No matter where you are from or what your background, people everywhere agree: If nothing else, Jesus, was the master storyteller. Taking simple, short stories to communicate powerful truths we have stories like „The Parable of the Good Samaritan” and „The Parable of the Lost Son”. People around the world can tell you pieces of „The Sermon on the Mount.” What was his secret and how did his messages become so embedded in cultures around the world? Simple: He told them in the form of stories. They were bite size, they were visible, they were relatable, each one contained a powerful takeaway that either made people like him…or hate him. Game Changers know how to wrap their visions, goals, strategies and ideas in the form of a story that leaves no space for confusion and is easily transferred from one person to the next.

To learn more on how The Heart is supporting creation of a game-changing mindset contact us or visit www.gamechangersacademy.eu to learn more.