Week 23: Let Go of Limiting Beliefs

Welcome to Week 23 of the Authenticity@Work Leadership Tool-kit! My intention for this series is to share a quick tool each week to help you lead with more authenticity, adaptability and inspiration so we can together create workplaces where we bring the best of ourselves and inspire others. So grab a journal and an accountability partner to make these practices even more powerful for you!

In last week’s post we discussed letting go of labels that keep us in judgment mode. Did you find times in which you exhibit similar traits to the ones you find undesirable in others?

A limiting belief is a set of assumptions or stories we have that limit our potential. The only problem with limiting beliefs is that we assume they’re the truth about a situation rather than just our perspective. We need to examine with curiosity whether or not they serve us.

Limiting beliefs keep us from our authenticity by preventing us from experiencing the whole of who we really are, realizing what we’re capable of, and pursuing dreams important to us.

I remember a woman in one of my workshops who shared that she wanted a promotion but wasn’t sure if she should ask for it, because she wanted to have another baby. She wasn’t sure if she could handle all that new pressure.

In that same workshop, another woman stood up. She said she had five kids and found that it had made her a better and more productive leader (the productivity pun was lost on her!). Her beliefs were that she’s much better at managing stress, delegating, and establishing boundaries since she had her kids. If you’re seeking a promotion, which belief system would you rather adopt?

This Week’s Tool:

Here is a five-step process to use to become aware of and start letting go of limiting beliefs:

• What is an area of your leadership or life in which you’re feeling stuck.
• What could be some limiting beliefs or assumptions that keep you stuck? Another way to look at this is to discover which saboteurs may be present (review your work in Week 17 – link here).
• What are more empowering ways of looking at this situation?
• Which these more empowering ways feel more exciting and resonant within you?
• What actions could you take from those new perspectives?

This exercise would be great to do with your accountability partner or with a trusted friend.

Get the latest resources for Authenticity@Work (this tab will get updated with all kinds of cool resources). Curious to know more about the book? Read the reviews about Wired for Authenticity here.

This article was written by Henna Inam, C-level executive coach, global speaker, and author of the book Wired for Disruption. She helps leaders grow their agility to be a force for good and thrive in times of change. They create organizations that drive breakthroughs in innovation, growth, and engagement. In roles including Head E-Innovation and Chief Innovation and Marketing Officer, Henna drove transformation throughout her 20-year corporate career as an executive with Fortune 500 companies. Join the thousands who follow her blog here. Connect on Linkedin.