Master coach instructor, creator of Metacognitive Programming, a coaching and therapeutic technique. Founder and CEO of Think Meta.
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Have you ever wondered why some companies fail and some succeed, becoming the gold standard that everyone looks up to? Was it luck? Timing? Maybe those play a part, but in reality—it comes back to the people doing the work. People make companies great and people lead companies to success.
A good leader knows how to push their team, but an excellent leader knows how to help their team overcome limitations individually and together. If you want to guide your team to success, working to define and overcome your team's limitations will help you develop a strategy to achieve your desired results. If you push your team to forge ahead without addressing potential limiting factors, it is unlikely you will achieve success quickly or at all. So what limitations should you be looking out for?
We often fall into the trap of confusing what we have been given from birth with what limits us. For example, birds are born to fly. But it happens that humans put them in cages. It doesn't change what is given to birds. It just adds a limitation. People sometimes think that a cage is given from birth, while the ability to fly is a limitation to having a good life in that cage. Excellent leaders show people their limitations and what they can't see so they can go beyond the usual and achieve a little more.
Here are three ways you can help your team break through limitations:
1. Set the desired goal.
The first step to breaking through limitations is for the team to set the desired goal with the desired process. People are often only interested in the result and not in the process of achieving it. Goals with an undesirable process are undesirable themselves.
For example, let's say you want to land investors for your project, but you don’t want to work on improving your pitch. If your team wants to achieve a desired business goal, like reaching a specific number of sales or leads, but they don’t want to put in the work it takes to get there, the goal will remain unattainable.
To achieve undesirable goals, you need to force yourself to do things you don't want to. Encourage your team to speak up about their individual desires in relation to the project at hand. What type of work do they enjoy doing? Do they love selling, marketing or design? Each team member should be working in their area of expertise and zone of genius. Allowing your team to do work that feels good will help you discover new ways to overcome the limitations.
2. Develop a healthy mindset.
Fostering a healthy mindset as a team can improve the team's overall success. Help your team recognize that they are not their thoughts, and your thoughts do not control them. The power of thought can be the difference between success and failure.
Take time to teach or remind your team that they have the power to choose their thoughts and that the thoughts they choose greatly determine how far they will go. If each team member comes up against self-doubt and limiting beliefs, breaking through any limitations and even problem-solving will be difficult. Encourage them to take their power back by consciously choosing their thoughts. Excellent leaders teach their team to believe in their coming success before they experience it.
3. Practice non-resistance.
Resistance can come up when you feel the need to know something will be successful before you even try. This seems like a logical thought: I need to know how to make a product before I make it. I need to know how to build a business before I start. I need to know how to coach before I start coaching. If I don't know, I definitely won't succeed. Or I'll hurt myself or lose everything I have. But think back to the very first day at work or at school—you didn't need to know everything before you started. Reality will provide feedback anyway, and it's this feedback that will help you to learn quickly. Resistance can be a form of fear—fear of failure, fear of embarrassment, etc.
If your team is resisting the idea that the end goal will be successful or that you, as a team, can even achieve it, they will struggle to put in the effort. They will miss the signs pointing to solutions to overcome limitations. Teaching team members the power of non-resistance is a great tool to help you break through barriers and exceed your wildest expectations of what success looks like.
As a leader, helping the team break through limitations requires that you become a master in the art of a positive mindset and non-resistance. Set an example for your team to follow. Every member should feel connected to the team's desired goal. They should be working in their zone of genius and desire, doing work that they enjoy for a goal that makes sense to them and is even desirable for them. Team members should be working to develop healthy thought patterns and be aware of the power of practicing non-resistance. This creates a stable foundation for the team to overcome limits and achieve success. I think you will be surprised by the limitations you can overcome.
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