Discipline and Willpower - Vivek Hattangadi

Discipline and Willpower - By Vivek Hattangadi

• While uneducated birds and beasts
  Know how to lead regulated lives,
  Alas! Man endowed with intelligence
  Does not lead a disciplined life
  (Anon)
  Discipline is fundamental to every living being. For Homo sapiens it is even more important; may be as much as the spinal cord. Without discipline mankind will be ruined.
  Said Zig Ziglar “Discipline yourself to do the things you need to do when you need to do them, and the day will come when you will be able to do the things you want to do when you want to do them”.
  
  Today, in India, it is because people do not practise discipline, whether for instance traffic discipline, social discipline, discipline in daily routine, or elsewhere, life is becoming painful. Discipline must start from the early years, but it is needed not only by students but even by elders. The elders must impress on the young ones that discipline is imperative to become a successful student, a professional, a parent, a musician or even a sportsperson.
  
  One of the misconceptions in the world is that the people who end up being successful somehow achieve this success through short cuts, and other miracles of fate. In the process, the world forgets about the disciplined life of these successful personalities. The importance of discipline in life is something which is often ignored. Discipline is behavior in accordance with rules of conduct. For example, discipline is denying oneself of an excessive pleasure in order to accomplish more demanding jobs. Discipline is the most essential quality of life. It is necessary in the personal life of everybody. Discipline means teaching ourselves self-control, obedience, cooperation and punctuality. It is the ability to stay focused on our chosen action path without detour, distraction, or interruption
  
  This brings us towards willpower and self-discipline.
  
  Willpower is an expression of our inner strength, determination, decisiveness, and assertiveness. It is the ability to act and exert ourselves in spite of laziness and discomfort. Willpower confers on us the strength and fortitude to act in spite of inner resistance or external obstacles. The application of willpower can be like a military strategy:
• Choose your target and objective
• Create a plan of attack
• Execute the plan

Willpower is the spearhead of self-discipline. Self-discipline can be said to be the ‘spouse’ of willpower.

Self-discipline is usually understood to be synonymous with 'self control'. It is the giving up of instant pleasure and gratification or satisfaction for a higher goal. It gives us the power to follow our decisions, stick to them and not change our mind too often, and thus reach our goals. Self-discipline refers to the training that one gives to one's self to accomplish tasks or to adopt a particular pattern of behavior, even though one would really rather be doing something else. Self-discipline is the ability of a person to force himself to do something he knows he should do, whether he likes it or not. Every successful person knows that self-discipline is important for success. Self-discipline must be developed and practised in order to succeed. Every time we practise self- discipline, we will strengthen it.

Thus, self-discipline is the assertion of willpower over basic desires. Self-discipline is the power to keep going forward, when everything around us seems to be pulling us back.

Lack of self discipline may lead to failure to reach goals, even minor ones, and to loss of health, wealth, relationships and may lead us to many other troubles.

Unfortunately, many people, especially the young ones are not interested in self-discipline. They prefer to engage in actions that satisfy their short-term needs – even at the expense of long term failure. Lack of self-discipline is a source of low self esteem. Self-discipline is something we all need because it is a vital characteristic of successful people. Self-discipline helps us control our actions and makes sure we stay on the right track.

What then are the benefits of discipline? Discipline generates trust and confidence in ourselves, and attracts trust and confidence from others. The constant act of discipline can magnify our power many, many times. The possession of this power leads to self confidence and self esteem, and consequently to happiness, satisfaction and real strength.

Practise self-discipline and we shall be in control of ourselves all of the time.

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of willpower”. - Vince Lombardi

Jack Welsh on Leadership

Jack Welsh on Leadership

Leadership can be defined as one's ability to get others to willingly follow. Every organization needs leaders at every level. Leaders can be found and nurtured if you look for the following character traits.

A leader with vision has a clear, vivid picture of where to go, as well as a firm grasp on what success looks like and how to achieve it. But it’s not enough to have a vision; leaders must also share it and act upon it. Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric Co., said, "Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision and relentlessly drive it to completion."

A leader must be able to communicate his or her vision in terms that cause followers to buy into it. He or she must communicate clearly and passionately, as passion is contagious.

A good leader must have the discipline to work toward his or her vision single-mindedly, as well as to direct his or her actions and those of the team toward the goal. Action is the mark of a leader. A leader does not suffer “analysis paralysis” but is always doing something in pursuit of the vision, inspiring others to do the same.

Integrity is the integration of outward actions and inner values. A person of integrity is the same on the outside and on the inside. Such an individual can be trusted because he or she never veers from inner values, even when it might be expeditious to do so. A leader must have the trust of followers and therefore must display integrity.

Honest dealings, predictable reactions, well-controlled emotions, and an absence of tantrums and harsh outbursts are all signs of integrity. A leader who is centered in integrity will be more approachable by followers.

Dedication means spending whatever time or energy is necessary to accomplish the task at hand. A leader inspires dedication by example, doing whatever it takes to complete the next step toward the vision. By setting an excellent example, leaders can show followers that there are no nine-to-five jobs on the team, only opportunities to achieve something great.

Magnanimity means giving credit where it is due. A magnanimous leader ensures that credit for successes is spread as widely as possible throughout the company. Conversely, a good leader takes personal responsibility for failures. This sort of reverse magnanimity helps other people feel good about themselves and draws the team closer together. To spread the fame and take the blame is a hallmark of effective leadership.

Leaders with humility recognize that they are no better or worse than other members of the team. A humble leader is not self-effacing but rather tries to elevate everyone. Leaders with humility also understand that their status does not make them a god. Mahatma Gandhi is a role model for Indian leaders, and he pursued a “follower-centric” leadership role.

Openness means being able to listen to new ideas, even if they do not conform to the usual way of thinking. Good leaders are able to suspend judgment while listening to others’ ideas, as well as accept new ways of doing things that someone else thought of. Openness builds mutual respect and trust between leaders and followers, and it also keeps the team well supplied with new ideas that can further its vision.

Creativity is the ability to think differently, to get outside of the box that constrains solutions. Creativity gives leaders the ability to see things that others have not seen and thus lead followers in new directions. The most important question that a leader can ask is, “What if …?” Possibly the worst thing a leader can say is, “I know this is a dumb question ...”

Fairness means dealing with others consistently and justly. A leader must check all the facts and hear everyone out before passing judgment. He or she must avoid leaping to conclusions based on incomplete evidence. When people feel they that are being treated fairly, they reward a leader with loyalty and dedication.

Assertiveness does not mean aggressiveness. Rather, it is the ability to clearly state what one expects so that there will be no misunderstandings. A leader must be assertive to get the desired results. Along with assertiveness comes the responsibility to clearly understand what followers expect from their leader.

Many leaders have difficulty striking the right amount of assertiveness, according to a study in the February 2007 issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published by the APA (American Psychological Association). It seems that being under-assertive or overassertive may be the most common weakness among aspiring leaders.

A sense of humor is vital to relieve tension and boredom, as well as to defuse hostility. Effective leaders know how to use humor to energize followers. Humor is a form of power that provides some control over the work environment. And simply put, humor fosters good camaraderie.

Intrinsic traits such as intelligence, good looks, height and so on are not necessary to become a leader. Anyone can cultivate the proper leadership traits.