One person is afraid of heights and does not dare to jump out of an airplane with a parachute. Another is afraid of making a mistake and therefore fails to pass that one exam. Yet another gets the creeps just thinking about getting on a plane. These are real fears we can have and can prevent us from doing and achieving great things.
Think about it for a second… with skydiving you can feel free as a bird and see the earth from a completely different perspective. By passing that exam, you can achieve that training so that you can progress to that great position. And by getting on the plane, a world opens up for you and you make that world trip.
But we all suffer from it - fears. And frightens one person is peanuts for another.
What is it for you that stops you from doing what you really want?
Imagine! What if you wouldn't let yourself being stopped? But just break through it. Looking the fear in the eye. Could it just be, that your biggest dreams can come true?
In our daily encounters with directors and leaders, we encounter countless situations where he or she is held back (by fear) from building the company, group, or department they want so badly. The tricky part of this is that we often do not realize why that is.
That's all nice, I hear you think, but how do I know? How do I know if a fear is holding me back? And if I already realize that, how do I break through it? Of course I want to build that great company, team or department. But how do I not let that fear stop me from doing that?
How do you recognize that you are being held back? Where fear of heights is a clear one, it can be much less obvious what it is that holds us back in our leadership. We don't see it easily ourselves.
Do you recognize the following symptoms? A department or team is not performing well, but you can not put your finger on it. Or that project just doesn't seem to get off the ground. An employee is not delivering on his or her potential that he or she has. Or the turnover lags behind while you all work harder and work more hours than ever before.
Just as pain in your body is a symptom that something is not right, symptoms in the organization are a sign that something is not healthy in the company. We often look for the cause of this outside ourselves, among our employees, or the structure or the processes, but do not see that this can also be related to our own internal obstacles.
"We often look for the cause of this outside ourselves"
Could it be that there may be internal obstacles within yourself that are reflected in your business or organization?
Of course, there can be many reasons behind this. We do not want to suggest that all problems in the organization lie with you as a leader, but it is worth investigating and starting with yourself as a director or leader. Even though the relationship between them is by no means always immediately clear.
One way to recognize whether this is a problem, is to examine yourself in how you deal with these symptoms. Do you find it difficult to deal with them? Do you actually find it nagging and annoying and do you not feel like doing anything about it?
Then ask yourself "what makes it so difficult for me?" or "what makes me whining and annoyed?". By answering these questions, or by asking a good friend, you discover whether your motivation is unconsciously driven by fear, yes or no.
Do you feel stuck on this? We are happy to help you! Because it is a waste of your business, the people in your company and yourself not to draw the best out of it!
And then how do I break through that? That is a very good question and an important step. And the answer is actually quite simple: do what you find so difficult to do... So simple ?! Yes that simple, but so difficult to do over and over again. And yet that is the only remedy. By keep doing what you find difficult, you weaken the influence of that unconscious fear. You will find that the more you do this, the easier it will be. And at some point you don't even notice it anymore and you just do it, it has become a new habit. By going through it every time, you build confidence, and confidence makes you dare to do it again.
"By keep doing what you find difficult, you weaken the influence of that unconscious fear."
We want you to make your buisiness a reality according to your dreams. So don't let that fear put you off and go for it!
Doesn't that seem to work out for you and do you want more guidance on putting your finger on the right spot and break through it? Contact us for the possibilities. We are happy to talk to you and help you on your way without any obligation.
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