by mohammadalamin584@gmail.com | Dec 24, 2024 | Events
Self-belief is important.
Conventional wisdom tells us success begins by trusting ourselves.
But trust is not an ask. Trust is earned.
𝗦𝗼, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿?
This is the story of rock climber Alex Honnold who took self-trust to an unprecedented level.
In 2017, Alex became the first man to climb the 3,000 feet EL Capitan (EL Cap) vertical wall in California Yosemite National Park.
A remarkable feat he accomplished using only his bare hands.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝟯,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱?
It didn’t happen instinctively.
Alex took 7 years to believe he could scale El Cap.
Another 2 years to trust his abilities to complete the task.
Here are 5 lessons from Alex’s story on how we can learn to trust ourselves.
𝟭. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗯𝘁𝘀.
‘(𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧) 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳’.
Familiarity builds trust. Alex rehearsed his climb sequences over 2 years to make each movement feel secure, repeatable, and ingrained in him.
𝟮. 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲
‘𝘐 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦’.
Our mind can’t do things that it can’t see. Visualization allows Alex to see success in his mind and builds self-confidence in his abilities.
𝟯. 𝗡𝗼 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹.
know your weaknesses and respect the challenges they bring. Alex practiced daily stretching for a year to improve ONE particular movement.
𝟰. 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀.
‘𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵’.
Alex was completely focused on his tasks at that moment. He learned from his previous climbs but did not ruminate on past mistakes.
𝟱. 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 ‘𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳𝘀’
‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘺?
Practice instills confidence. Alex silenced his negative self-talk by climbing El Cap 50 times with ropes to study his route and surroundings.
===
Building trust takes time and effort. 🌟
We can build self-confidence with a clear plan and consistent practice.
When we learn to trust ourselves, others will learn to trust us. 🌟
That is when we can achieve more than we imagined.
PS: What’s your recent success? Share in comments 🙌
by mohammadalamin584@gmail.com | Dec 24, 2024 | Career, Events
2 months ago, I became a mentor with FutureLab.my and Mentoring SG.
In my first sessions with 2 mentees last week, a recurring question emerged:
“𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭? “
Now, here’s the truth.
Standing out requires a different mindset.
You can’t stand out with the same mentality as everyone. 😐
The sessions reminded me of my experience as a young Customer Relationship Office (CRO).
How changing my mindset would elevate my entire career trajectory.
Here are the 5 little-known mindset shifts that you can adopt today:
𝟏. 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬
→ Don’t wait for external challenges.
→ Take responsibility for your growth and participate in cross-functional projects.
𝟐. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐊𝐏𝐈𝐬
→ Don’t be limited by your current role and KPIs.
→ As a CRO, I looked beyond answering more calls to proactively explore ways to reduce my hotline’s call volume instead.
𝟑. 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝-𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠:
→ Anticipate your future roles.
→ I knew I wouldn’t answer calls in my next role. So, I planned two steps ahead to learn essential new skills to be a team leader.
𝟒. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬
→ Contribute towards work improvement.
→ People remember your ideas, not the KPIs you achieved.
𝟓. 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲
→ Ask the ‘how’ and ‘what’.
→ Step up strategically and show maturity to understand the bigger picture while others avoid ‘doing more’.
These mindset strategies turned me from a self-doubting CRO to a confident team leader within 2 years.
They paved the way for more career opportunities including being part of Singtel Group’s Myanmar market entry task force and taking up an assignment in Indonesia.
=====
Our mindset is akin to our second skin. 🧠
We wear it 24/7. In our work and into our life.
Whether you are starting, an established executive or a team leader, cultivating a growth mindset would allow you and your team to stand out and deliver greater impact.
Master your mindset and watch your career soar! 🚀
by mohammadalamin584@gmail.com | Dec 24, 2024 | Events, Leadership
I began my career in the Mobile Telecommunications (Telco) sector in the year 2000.
That was an era when Telco was the unicorn much like the AI industry is today.
As a fresh Marketing graduate, I felt I ‘arrived’ when I landed my first job with MobileOne (M1).
I became a call centre officer, much to the disappointment of my parents.
They couldn’t understand why their son would find joy in answering customers’ inquiries every day.
My dad would further question..
‘How much longer are you planning to waste your time?’
He wanted me to follow his career path in Finance where he believed smart people should be.
My first job in the call centre lasted 6 years but it was anything but a waste.
It was where I learned everything I knew about team leadership.
The lessons I learned from observing my supervisors were akin to sitting in the front row of an MBA class, every day.
There was one particular lesson that stood out.
‘Tasks will only take up 20% of your time. People will take up the other 80%.
‘BUT your greatest reward is when knowing you have made a positive difference to someone.”.
An advice that guided me throughout my career.
As I progressed, I was privileged to collaborate and lead diverse teams in Southeast Asia in my roles with Singtel International, Telkomsel and Lazada.
Managing teams sharpened my eye for human potential.
Oftentimes, I could see the spark in a person before they could.
Helping individuals recognize their spark was my motivation.
I created a team culture and provided opportunities for my members to find their voice. To share their ideas and career aspirations while being heard, valued and respected.
When they see beyond their current role, they start to believe in their abilities to grow and go further.
===
One of the greatest gifts in life is to have someone who believes in our potential.
✳ If you are in the position of giving, support someone.
✳ If you are in a position of receiving, don’t be shy to seek guidance.
I choose to believe it is in our power to make a difference, for others and ourselves.
We can’t go back in time to change our start.
But we can make the decisions today to change our future. 🌟
How about you? What was your most important career advice?
by mohammadalamin584@gmail.com | Dec 18, 2024 | Events, Mindset
Do you know …
Nike’s “Just Do It” slogan was inspired by the final words of Gary Gilmore, a convicted murderer who was executed in Utah in 1977.
Dan Wieden, co-founder of the advertising firm that created the slogan,
was inspired by Gilmore’s final words,
“You know, let’s do it”. And the rest is history.
But is it REALLY simply – Just Do It?
When I started posting on LinkedIn last Nov, I felt miserable.
Every post was a 3 to 5 hour struggle.
My pain wasn’t just about content creation.
It was the conflict between wanting to introduce myself as a new coach and the pull back of doing it an introvert.
This friction led to inconsistent effort and procrastination.
Did you also have these moments?
When you hesitated…
When you couldn’t simply – Just Do It.
So what stopped you?
What did you want?
How did you feel?
Often times, we get stuck by the frustration of what we want and how we feel about ourselves.
Understanding this deep lying conflict will empower you to take the right actions – FOR YOU.
𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 – 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗗𝗼 𝗜𝘁.
by mohammadalamin584@gmail.com | Dec 18, 2024 | Events, Mindset
After more than 100 coaching conversations, I came to realise we are our biggest barriers.
We are often our harshest critics, putting ourselves down before anybody else.
When I asked my coachees,
“What’s really standing in your way and the results you want?”
I often hear, “I CAN’T … because [reasons]’.
– A high potential manager avoided promotion because “I CAN’T lead”
– A team leader shunned tough conversations because “I CAN’T manage”
– A mid-career executive rejected an overseas role because ” I CAN’T adapt”
It is not their lack of knowledge or ability.
It is their BELIEF that they can’t.
This is why I am passionate about supporting others to own their ‘I CAN’.
‘I CAN’ is the mindset of truly believing in our ability to learn, adapt and grow.
It is a process that requires a critical mindset shift –
to get your harshest critic to start trusting.
That’s YOU.
This requires beyond shouting “I CAN’ in front of your bathroom mirror.
Your transformation from ‘I CAN’T’ to ‘I CAN’ requires you to
⏩ 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 – the desire to own what you said you wanted, badly.
⏩ 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 – the commitment to face the discomfort of growth.
⏩ 𝗧𝗿𝘆 – the courage to put words into action.
This is not just fancy Growth Mindset theory.
📌 It is THE mindset that turned me from a ‘no hope student’ to having a fulfilling career and now as a Coach.
And I’ve seen how an ‘I CAN’ mindset changed the results for my clients in their business and life.
The reason I am sharing this is because …
𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀,
If starting today,
your response to every challenge is ‘I CAN’ instead of ‘I CAN’T’.
– How would you feel?
– What would you achieve?
– What career and life opportunities do you see now?
This is not toxic positivity or blind optimism.
It is trusting yourself to create the results you want.
by mohammadalamin584@gmail.com | Aug 4, 2024 | Events, Leadership
I began my career in the Mobile Telecommunications (Telco) sector in the year 2000.
That was an era when Telco was the unicorn much like the AI industry is today.
As a fresh Marketing graduate, I felt I ‘arrived’ when I landed my first job with MobileOne (M1).
I became a call centre officer, much to the disappointment of my parents.
They couldn’t understand why their son would find joy in answering customers’ inquiries every day.
My dad would further question..
‘How much longer are you planning to waste your time?’
He wanted me to follow his career path in Finance where he believed smart people should be.
My first job in the call centre lasted 6 years but it was anything but a waste.
It was where I learned everything I knew about team leadership.
The lessons I learned from observing my supervisors were akin to sitting in the front row of an MBA class, every day.
There was one particular lesson that stood out.
‘Tasks will only take up 20% of your time. People will take up the other 80%.
‘BUT your greatest reward is when knowing you have made a positive difference to someone.”.
An advice that guided me throughout my career.
As I progressed, I was privileged to collaborate and lead diverse teams in Southeast Asia in my roles with Singtel International, Telkomsel and Lazada.
Managing teams sharpened my eye for human potential.
Oftentimes, I could see the spark in a person before they could.
Helping individuals recognize their spark was my motivation.
I created a team culture and provided opportunities for my members to find their voice. To share their ideas and career aspirations while being heard, valued and respected.
When they see beyond their current role, they start to believe in their abilities to grow and go further.
===
One of the greatest gifts in life is to have someone who believes in our potential.
✳ If you are in the position of giving, support someone.
✳ If you are in a position of receiving, don’t be shy to seek guidance.
I choose to believe it is in our power to make a difference, for others and ourselves.
We can’t go back in time to change our start.
But we can make the decisions today to change our future. 🌟
How about you? What was your most important career advice?
