Leadership is all about growth- why then do many get stuck at a certain grade level?
Before starting to read further, ask this to yourself- “In this moment, what do I really want to feel?"
As leaders, your day seems to be never ending with back to back meetings, projects to deliver, targets to achieve, teams to oversee, problems to solve, decisions to make and of course Emails! We go through work instead of growing through work. In the midst of all this, we also carefully plan out our dreams and goals to climb the corporate ladder and achieve success.
Now, observe how you work on companies projects, team, targets, meetings etc. Do you leave any space for mistakes? Are you too hard on your teams? Do you let your teams feel demotivated? Do you speak negatively to those around you and to your boss? The answer most probably is NO. Now, observe how you work on your dreams and goals to achieve success and climb the ladder. Do you criticize yourself? Do you self doubt your abilities? Do you motivate yourself every single day? Do you speak positively to yourself? The answer to this is within each of you.
“In this moment, what do I really want to feel? Happy, fulfilled, motivated, clear, low, dejected, etc. Your answer to this question leads you to success or failure. As leaders, every single day you wake up full of choices. You have a choice to feel motivated or demotivated, to let situations make you or break you, to feel happy or dejected, to react or respond. It’s your choices that leads to the next event at your workplace.
Nothing holds you back from climbing the corporate ladder and achieving any of your dreams except your own self. You have complete power and resourcefulness. You are not dependant on company resources, your success is not because of your boss, your failure is not because of that peer who came in your way, you are stuck not because of that team member who pulls you down. You are where you are and you will be where you will, only because of one person-YOU.
Many leaders have gotten used to being like the elephant who as a baby, was tied with a chain around its leg and the other end of the chain was tied to a metal stake on the ground. The chain and stake were strong enough for the baby elephant. When it tried to break away, the metal chain would pull it back and would cut into the skin on the elephant’s leg, making it bleed, creating a wound that would hurt the baby elephant even more. Soon, the baby elephant realized it was futile trying to escape. It stopped trying. Years later the baby elephant grew into a strong huge elephant. They tie a metal chain onto a collar around the mighty elephant’s leg – and tie it to a small wooden peg that’s hammered into the ground. The elephant now could easily snap the chain, uproot the wooden peg, and escape to freedom. But it does not do that. In fact, it does not even try. Why?
Like this elephant, you have incredible power inside you. You have it in you to make your dreams come true. Your self-limiting beliefs are holding you back. Sometimes it’s a work experience or an early failure. Sometimes it’s something you were told by bosses and peers. Many a time its grudges, resentment, hatred, bitterness. All these become your chain and peg, holding you back from doing what you are capable of, stopping us from achieving what was well within our powers. You are the only one who has the power to break this chain.
I leave you to think: what’s holding you back? What’s your chain and wooden peg? Identify it, list it and move to action. Leadership is all about growth- you are all about progress. Take the action.
Payal Nanjiani is an Inspirational Leadership trainer and success mindset coach. Her Leadership Through Mind program has created success waves for numerous corporates, both small to fortune 500. She has been instrumental in setting up leadership program for various youth and leadership associations.
