One of the important exercises we take our clients through is uncovering the limiting beliefs that hold them back. There are literally hundreds of limiting beliefs, but each person and organization has their own unique set. You might ponder a few of these to see if you have them on your personal list or if they're alive and well in your company. We call them limiting beliefs because they limit personal and organizational performance by sucking the energy out of people. For example, if we believe that firefighting is normal, we never do anything to put an end to it. We just work harder, faster and longer. This may be seen as heroic, but in fact, it just takes us away from building the company.
1. Fire Fighting is normal
2. People don't care
3. Working more hours will make a difference
4. Empowerment is the same as delegation, but with more rope
5. Managing is the same as leading
6. Bad communication is just the way things are
7. Being an entrepreneur or business owner makes you a CEO
8. The boss knows best
9. People just want to be told what to do
10. People don't change
11. Training is the same as transformation
12. Other CEOs know more than you do about your company
13. Emotions have no place in business
14. The customer is more important than your people
15. The customer knows what they want
16. Leadership always knows what to do
17. Business is separate from one's personal life
18. Performance and behavior can be managed
19. While business is about people, working with people, doing stuff, for people, the stuff is more important than the people
20. Profit is the main reason for a business
21. Education and past experience matter more than personality.
Limiting beliefs in an organization are invisible, destructive and persistent. They keep us disengaged. And the interesting thing is, the person or situation that caused the belief to begin with can be long gone, but the belief will live on until called into question. If you find you subscribe to some of these, well, great, awareness is the first step toward letting go of what no longer serves you.
Now, let's take this to the next level; how many limiting beliefs do you have about yourself, your family, your clients? And how are those limiting beliefs holding you back?
1 comment:
I think I've seen quite a few of these in my time. It seems like most of the limiting beliefs are ideas that were working for a while, but then began to hold back the team as conditions changed.
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