Digital Dealer - November 2019 - 4

D E A L E R OP S & M ANAGEM ENT: L e a d e r shi p Continued from pg. 2

willing to follow purposeful
processes long enough to
make a significant impact
on their growth.
Recall the definition of
killer instinct, "an aggressive urge to dominate in
order to reach a goal or
overcome a struggle." For
the right perspective in
understanding the importance of intentionality when
it comes to building your
killer instinct and mental
toughness, let me define
the context for what I've
found is the most effective
interpretation of that definition: your primary goal is to
dominate your former self,
not someone else. This is
what you can control, and
this is what's most relevant.
What are the odds of consistently dominating others
if you haven't yet mastered
yourself? Thus, the crux of
developing a killer instinct
and mental toughness is to
be better today in these ten
areas than you were yesterday, and to repeat again
tomorrow, the next day, and
until the day your time on
this earth expires.
THE ACCREDITED
TRAITS
1. ATTITUDE. Without

the right outlook on life in
general - or concerning
struggles, successes, and
defeats - killer instinct remains dormant, and mental
toughness is underdeveloped.
2. COMPETITIVENESS.

Competitiveness is a desire
to dominate in the quest
to obtain a goal others are
also vying for. The key
to competitiveness is to
first and foremost seek to
4

NOVEMBER 2019

dominate your former self.
It can't be considered as
progress or growth if you
"beat" others but are stagnant or in decline.
3. CHARACTER. Character is about the development of a moral and ethical
code that protects your talent and builds your success
on a sustainable foundation.
Strong and weak character
alike are developed over
time, one decision at a time.
4. RIGOR. This trait embodies having a well-struc-

there are certain conversations, excuses, habits,
activities, and more, that
you no longer give yourself
the option to engage in.
7. INTELLIGENCE.

This key trait involves the
ability to acquire and apply
skills and knowledge. Most
people do far better with
the acquiring aspect than
the application; but, killer
instinct is leveraged, and
mental toughness is built or
weakened, depending upon
your success in consistently

THUS, THE CRUX OF
DEVELOPING KILLER
INSTINCT AND MENTAL
TOUGHNESS IS TO BE
BETTER TODAY IN THESE
TEN AREAS THAN YOU
WERE YESTERDAY."
tured, highly effective daily
routine that prioritizes what
matters most, and minimizes time with - or ignores
altogether - the people,
activities, and thoughts that
make it more difficult to
reach your goals.
5. EFFORT. Effort is
about bringing game-changing work ethic to whatever
you do; doing more than
is required, and more than
what makes you comfortable; doing all you possibly
can regardless of whether
you feel like it or not.
6. DISCIPLINE. Discipline is only possible when
you limit your options; when
you narrow your focus to
the essential activities you
must execute with excellence, daily, to reach your
goals. To develop discipline

D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

executing what you learn,
and doing what you know
you're supposed to do.
8. TENACITY. This trait
is a persistence fueled by
ferociousness. Not only do
you persist, but you also do
so without losing enthusiasm, passion, and with renewed determination when
things don't go your way.
9. ENERGY. Energy
involves the mental and
physical stamina to sustain
the key activities necessary
to reach your goals. Many
people start well (killer
instinct) but fizzle out and
never finish because they
lack energy (a key aspect of
mental toughness).
10. DRIVE. Drive is an
innate, biologically determined urge to attain a goal
or satisfy a need. Drive is

where killer instinct starts.
While drive involves an urge
- a strong feeling - killer
instinct demonstrates an
aggressive and tenacious
urge. You not only want
something, but you want it
bad enough to stop waiting
for it or procrastinating, and
take whatever action is necessary to bring it about.
FINAL THOUGHTS:

If you want to raise
your leadership level by
more intentionally working
on these traits, then take
the ACCREDITED Course
found in the Insider's Club
at learntolead.com. It's a
70-day course where you'll
intentionally work on one
trait per week for ten weeks.
Along with a video from
me giving an overview of
the course, you'll find 70
supporting video clips (7
for each trait), as well as
a printable ACCREDITED
Progress Diary to grade and
track your daily progress.
Enjoy the journey and get
ACCREDITED!
DAVE ANDERSON, "Mr.
Accountability," is a leading
international speaker on
personal and corporate
performance improvement. The
author of 14 books and host of
the wildly popular podcast, The
Game Changer Life, Dave's
message has impacted leaders
in nearly 70 nations. His "inthe-trenches" background of
starting and running worldclass businesses, coupled with
his relatable non-academic
approach, creates an
unmatched connection that
resonates with audiences and
moves them to action.
Follow Dave on Twitter
@DaveAnderson100. EMAIL:
dave@learntolead.com
http://www.learntolead.com http://www.DIGITALDEALER.COM
Digital Dealer - November 2019

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