Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building, and golachieving. This
Speaker 1: is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul Fellavledo.
Speaker 2: Hello everyone, and welcome to the Seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
Speaker 2: It's episode three point fifty two, and today we're talking
Speaker 2: about something that I believe every leader in the world
Speaker 2: needs to do, especially when the pressure mounts, the clock
Speaker 2: is ticking, and everything seems to be falling apart around you.
Speaker 2: I'm talking about having a mantra, not just any mantra,
Speaker 2: your leadership mantra. Something you say to yourself over and
Speaker 2: over again when things get hard, when you're stressed, when
Speaker 2: decisions feel heavier than usual, and when it feels like
Speaker 2: you're the only one carrying the weight. And this isn't
Speaker 2: motivational bs. This is about having a lifeline seven words
Speaker 2: or less that you can repeat in the darkest moments
Speaker 2: to steady yourself, recenter your mindset, and re enter the
Speaker 2: battle with clarity and grit. It needs to be your
Speaker 2: inner war cry, something short, punchy and personal. Here's the problem.
Speaker 2: Most leaders don't have one. When things go sideways, they
Speaker 2: default to silence or worse, They say the wrong things.
Speaker 2: Why is this happening? Or this is never going to
Speaker 2: get better, or I can't deal with this right now.
Speaker 2: That internal language, it bleeds into your body language, It
Speaker 2: leaks into your decision making, and eventually it erodes your confidence.
Speaker 2: That's why today I want to give you a new mantra,
Speaker 2: one that's built from the trenches of leadership, one that's original,
Speaker 2: one that will hit different. The one that I use
Speaker 2: here it is I lead, I don't flinch, and say
Speaker 2: it out loud with me. I lead, I don't flinch.
Speaker 2: Five words straight, power, easy to remember, nobs all fire.
Speaker 2: So let's break it down. I lead. That's an identity statement.
Speaker 2: It's a reminder that, in the heat of the moment,
Speaker 2: that you're not just someone reacting to problems. You're the
Speaker 2: one leading through them. That phrase puts your mindset back
Speaker 2: in the driver's seat. You're not a passenger to chaos.
Speaker 2: You're the one holding the wheel. And I don't flinch.
Speaker 2: That's a decision. It means you don't back down when
Speaker 2: it gets uncomfortable. It means you don't pull back when
Speaker 2: things get messy. Flinching is a reflex. Leadership is a response,
Speaker 2: and every time you say this, you're reinforcing that you're
Speaker 2: d fault. Response isn't panic, its presence. So let me
Speaker 2: give you some real world moments when this mantra becomes
Speaker 2: your armor. You're about to walk into a room where
Speaker 2: layoffs are being discussed and you have to speak up.
Speaker 2: I lead, I don't flinch. A staff member makes a
Speaker 2: critical mistake and tensions are high. I lead, I don't flinch.
Speaker 2: And you just got hit with three crises before nine am.
Speaker 2: I lead, I don't flinch. You're exhausted, mentally drained, and
Speaker 2: no one's thanking you. I lead, I don't flinch. The
Speaker 2: repetition of this phrase isn't just about sounding tough. It's
Speaker 2: about programming your leadership response. Your brain listens to the
Speaker 2: words you say, especially the ones you repeat, and when
Speaker 2: you speak power into your mind, power flows out in
Speaker 2: your actions. This mantra also does something else. It influences
Speaker 2: your team when they hear you say it out loud,
Speaker 2: because yes, I want you to say this out loud
Speaker 2: when appropriate. It becomes part of your brand when they
Speaker 2: see you standing tall in a hard moment and hear
Speaker 2: you mutter I lead, I don't flinch. You're teaching them
Speaker 2: how to lead under pressure. So this is the leadership
Speaker 2: version of setting the tone. It's like a coach before
Speaker 2: the final play. Calm, clear, commanding. Now here's your challenge.
Speaker 2: Starting today, use this mantra or your own at least
Speaker 2: five times a day. Don't wait until you're overwhelmed. Say
Speaker 2: it in the morning, whenever you wake up, and when
Speaker 2: you get the work and log in. Say it before
Speaker 2: your team meeting, say it after you get that annoying email,
Speaker 2: and say it when you're tempted to let something slide.
Speaker 2: I lead, I don't flinch. Say it until it saves you,
Speaker 2: and then say it some more because that's what leaders do.
Speaker 2: We don't flinch, We lead. This has been the seven
Speaker 2: minute Leadership Podcast, and I thank you for listening.
Speaker 1: For more Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot
Speaker 1: com