Occasionally, I am jealous of another leadership coach because they manage to distill powerful insights in such a compelling way. That is the case with the article I’m going to summarize for you here. Author Muriel M. Wilkins identified seven of the most common beliefs that hold leaders back in a recent Harvard Business Review article (see image above).
Wilkins states that the biggest limiting factors for most leaders lie within themselves, which are unproductive beliefs she refers to as “hidden blockers.” While most of us aren’t even aware that we hold these beliefs, they “quietly shape every aspect of how we think, feel, and act.”
She offers a three-step approach to address these hidden blockers:
- Uncover: Identify which of the seven core beliefs are relevant to you.
- Unpack: Examine the origins of the belief and its current role in your life and career.
- Unblock: Reframe your existing belief with a more productive one that will serve you as a leader.
For example, the hidden blocker “I need it done now” can be restated as a more beneficial mindset: “I need to focus on what truly matters.”
As Wilkins shares, when we work “to identify, understand, and reframe our own blockers as well as those facing our colleagues, teams, and organizations, work becomes a place where we can achieve our full potential and collaborate to generate the best results.”
GO DEEPER: Read “The Hidden Beliefs that Hold Leaders Back.”