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 Destiny? Or Deliberate Effort?
Welcome to our 76th Newsletter! When you win or lose, succeed or fail, what’s your attitude? Are
you more likely to greet success with “What a lucky break” or
“My hard work’s really paid off”? What's New?As well as the Locus of Control, we have a new-to-Mind-Tools technique
called TOWS
Analysis. This takes the strengths, weakness, opportunities
and threats approach of SWOT Analysis to another level, by extending the
strategic options that you can look at – for example by using your internal
strengths in combination with external opportunities. We’re
asking “Are we hardwired for success?” and, provocatively,
“Who cares what other people think?” These topics are
examples of just two of a diverse range of resource formats that make
for an interesting and varied learning experience in the club. “Are we
hardwired for success?” is an audio Book Insight, with transcript, that
reviews in detail a great read from Chuck Martin, whilst “Who cares what
other people think?” is a forum-based Coaching Clinic with Mind Tools
coach, Sharon Juden. Click here
to find
out more!
James & Rachel James Manktelow and Rachel Thompson
New ArticleLocus of Control
|
| Interactive Self-Test: Use our interactive self-test to find out your own locus of control. In less than five minutes, you'll know your own natural approach! Click here to take the self-test. You need to go online for this - many email systems don't allow interactive tests to be embedded within emails. |
Use
our interactive online self-test to work out your own locus of control.
If your score is in the range 22-25, you have a strong internal
Locus of Control. Whilst if it’s 26-33, you have a moderate internal
locus of control, and if you score over 33, you have an external
Locus of Control.
Benefits of an Internal Locus of Control
In general, people with an internal locus of control:
-
Engage in activities that will improve their situation.
- Emphasize striving for achievement.
- Work hard to develop their knowledge, skills and abilities.
- Are inquisitive, and try to figure out why things turned out the way
they did.
- Take note of information that they can use to create positive outcomes
in the future.
- Have a more participative management style.
Managing the Drawbacks of a Strong Internal
Locus of Control
People with an internal locus of control are generally more successful,
for very good reasons.
However there can be times when having an external locus of control can
be an advantage, particularly in situations where people need to be considerate
and more easy-going. People with a strong internal locus of control tend
to be very achievement-oriented, which can leave people around them feeling
"trampled" or "bruised." Also, with a very strong
internal locus of control, there is also a tendency to want to control
everything, and this can lead to difficulties in taking direction.
If you have a strong internal locus of control, make sure you pay attention
to the feelings of people around you - otherwise you can seem arrogant,
and people may not want to work with you.
Also, make sure that you manage
risks properly. Random events do occur for all sorts of reasons.
While you can manage many of these with enough determination and hard
work, some you can't.
Note: |
Tips for Developing an Internal Locus of
Control
Recognize the basic fact that you always have a choice. Making no choice
is actually a choice in and of itself, and it's your choice to allow other
people or events decide for you.
Set goals
for yourself and note how, by working towards these and achieving these,
you are controlling what happens in your life. As you do this, you'll
find that your self-confidence
quickly builds.
Develop your decision
making and problem
solving skills so that you can feel more confident, and in
control of what happens. With these tools, you'll find that you can understand
and navigate through situations that would otherwise damage you.
Pay attention to your self-talk. When you hear yourself saying things like, “I have no choice” or “There’s nothing I can do”, step back and remind yourself that you do, in fact, have some degree of control. It’s your choice whether you exercise it or not.
Key points:
You locus of control says a lot about how you view the world and your
role in determining the course of your life.
When you believe you have the power to control your own destiny and
determine your own direction, you have a strong internal locus of control.
In most cases, this is an important attitude to have if you want to be
successful.
People with an internal locus of control tend to work harder and persevere
longer in order to get what they want. This is not to say that having an
external locus of control is always bad: There are some situations where
this approach can work well. The key for your own personal development is
to understanding your natural tendency and then adapting it to the
situations you are faced with.
The Mind Tools Store:
- How
to Lead: Discover the Leader Within You:
Learn
the 48 simple but essential skills you need to become a top leader
in your industry.
More >>
-
The
Mind Tools E-book:All
of the tools on the Mind Tools website in one convenient, easily-downloadable,
easily-printable PDF file. We have excluded advertising to enhance
clarity and have formatted sections to be easy to read, print and
use.
More >>
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The
Career Excellence Club
(The Mind Tools members' area): Make career development
an every-day part of your life with member-only discussion forums,
the Mind Tools Extended Toolkit, downloadable MP3-based Book Insights
and Interviews, regular coaching, training, and much, much more.
More
>>
- Personal Coaching from Career Excellence Professionals: Find career and life direction, bring your job under control, build self-confidence and put yourself on the path to long term success with a Mind Tools coach. Our coaches give you the focused personal coaching you need to make the very most of your career and life. More >>
A Final Note From James
I hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter and, in particular, I hope you found that the Locus of Control article gave some useful insights! Next time round, we have a bumper edition, with two great articles for you to enjoy. Until then, have a truly excellent two weeks!
James Manktelow
Click here to email
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