How Stories Keep us Trapped
I’ve worked with countless leaders who’ve let their stories run their lives. All because somebody or some circumstance planted a seed a long time ago. Someone told them they couldn’t do it. They weren’t enough. They couldn’t make money. They didn’t have what it took. And that story mingled with their identity for decades.
Stories become hard-wired beliefs.
As leaders, we are constantly telling ourselves stories about others–most poignantly our employees. Some are true and stem from actual experience. Others are false and stem from our perception, someone else’s judgment, a one-time incident or a credential that we’ve categorically qualified or disqualified. And those stories often create communication barriers before an interaction even begins. They impact careers.
Changing the Story
Here’s the good news. We have the power to edit every story we tell and what we believe. We have the power to hold them tight or let them go. We also have the talent to rewrite them. We can work slowly, over time, at understanding and changing the stories in our head.
Your Challenge
What story are you holding onto? What belief came from that story? Is it true? How could your story launch you forward? How can you change that story for more success? For you and others?
