What are you saying to hold yourself back?
Jan 08, 2021What are you saying to yourself to hold yourself back?
I was asked that question today and it made me stop and think.
There's always something right?
I remember when I was early on in my career I would think things like:
There's always something right?
I remember when I was early on in my career I would think things like:
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I'm in way over my head here
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If I say something right now, that will be the end of my career
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I'm not aggressive enough to be a leader
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That [insert managers name here] is clearly way better than me, I'll never get to that level (and yet just a few years later I was past that level)
Does any of that sound familiar?
But here's the thing - none of that was actually true.
It was purely my perception, and yet I was allowing it to hold me back.
Getting clarity on what these thoughts are and then seeing them as a 'story' rather than a fact gets you halfway to eliminating them.
I'm sure you have your own version of what's going on in your head - what is it that you're telling yourself?
As an up and coming leader you will also want to listen, and I mean really listen, when your team is telling themselves (or you) stories. If you hear one take the time to reflect it back to them. Shine a light on it so they too can see it for what it is.
But here's the thing - none of that was actually true.
It was purely my perception, and yet I was allowing it to hold me back.
Getting clarity on what these thoughts are and then seeing them as a 'story' rather than a fact gets you halfway to eliminating them.
I'm sure you have your own version of what's going on in your head - what is it that you're telling yourself?
As an up and coming leader you will also want to listen, and I mean really listen, when your team is telling themselves (or you) stories. If you hear one take the time to reflect it back to them. Shine a light on it so they too can see it for what it is.
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