Five beliefs that prevent your success
How you interpret the world determines your success far more than what is really going on around you. This applies to your life as well as to your career, your team and your company. The following is another success impulse for practice.
Two examples: If you see strong competition as a threat, you will take different actions (and often unconsciously) than if you believe competition creates welcome pressure to sharpen positioning. If you see paying your team as a necessary evil to run your business, you will act differently than if you are convinced that investing in your team members is the best guarantee of growth and profitability.
Five beliefs
Again, that is solely your personal interpretation of neutral facts. My point is this: There are interpretations that are better at creating sustainable success than others. Here are my top 5 beliefs that I encounter over and over again in executive suites that prevent greater success (often without managers being aware of them):
- "I have (or my people have) no talent!" Studies repeatedly show that there is practically no such thing as "talent," but rather a widely varying willingness to continuously learn and improve, even when it's hard. By saying "no talent," we give ourselves the justification for not wanting to change anything.
- "I'm employed!" The very word is terrible! No one is "employed. We are all presidents of our own lives. Perhaps you are currently selling your time to an exclusive company (your "employer") who guarantees you monthly payments in return.
- "I don't have time!" Also missing: Of course, we all have the same 24 hours in a day. Some get more done in that time than others. "No time" always means "no priority".
- "Other or others are to blame!" No, you yourself are responsible for all your decisions, even how you react to the stupidity of others and to difficult influences. And there are always some who march ahead long ago, while others are still looking for culprits.
- "The successful are luckier!" Only those who learn more and do more are more "lucky" in the end. The most successful see and seize more opportunities than the average. The unsuccessful then call this "luck" to excuse their own failure.
You may disagree with one or the other statement. That's good, because it raises awareness of the issue.
Tip for practice:
Assess to what extent you find these beliefs in your team or entire company. Then start to change them and create a "winning team culture" with better beliefs. This takes training and regular practice over a period of time. The positive consequences of this far outweigh many other actions.
To the author:
Volkmar Völzke is a success maximizer. Book author. Consultant. Coach. Speaker. www.volkmarvoelzke.ch
