Have you heard the ancient saying “Give me the child until they are 7, and I will show you the man/woman”? Well, it turns out that back in the Middle Ages, there was already an understanding of how our minds are programmed in those vital first 7 years. Science has come a long way in five hundred years, but this ancient truth is still a cornerstone in modern psychology.
In these formative years, we are just little learning machines. We learn to walk, talk, count, master the ABC’s and communicate. While all that’s going on we are also receiving messages from our loved ones and carers – be careful, don’t do that, you are too young for that, you’ll hurt yourself, listen to me, do as you’re told, who do you think you are! Of course, there’s the positive side of that equation as well – I love you, you’re beautiful, you’re clever and so on.
But it’s the restrictive and repetitive messaging that form the limiting beliefs in our subconscious minds. Fast-forward to adulthood and that early messaging has turned into a way of thinking that churns away in the background of our minds.
What has this got to do with business? Regardless of the position you hold in the organisation – CEO, Manager, Department Head or Administration Officer, we all possess some of these beliefs in varying degrees. Here’s a common example: you turn up for work and you have a challenging decision to make, the first thing that runs through you mind is What if I fail? What if I’m not good enough? What if I don’t know the answer? etc etc. In a desperate state to make a decision, you pull back and come up with an excuse to avoid making that important choice. You stay safe in your comfort zone.
in many organisations there’s an outward display of passion, enthusiasm and a can-do attitude. But hidden beneath this facade is a quiet undertone of limitation and in most cases, it comes from our early childhood. Don’t get distracted by position, power, influence, education or experience, it exists and it sits under the mask we each wear.
As businesses move forward in this ever-changing world, they will need to focus on their team’s true potential. Not through more knowledge, tech and information but by discovering their actual capability by helping them lift the mask. This one action, will do more for a company’s bottom line than any other strategy.
