I often talk about the power of belief, especially self belief, and how with the right self belief we can move mountains.
Often our biggest limitations are self imposed limitations which come about because of doubt. We all have self doubts and it takes a lot to overcome these and if we don’t then these doubts can paralyse us and keep us in a state of inaction.
So it is important for us that we work with the right Leader, one who has belief in us, one who looks to help us defeat self doubt and build our self-confidence.
If we work for a leader who doesn’t do that, then we should seriously look to move on, as this will hamper our self growth, and what we can achieve.
We do not need any help at all in the self doubt department.
We all know Leaders, and have probably worked for Leaders, like that. Ones who prefer to put us down, dash our confidence and limit our performance, either because they lack self confidence or are worried that at some point they maybe replaced by anyone who shows a modicum of success.
In these situations our only option is to leave, and find a boss or Leader that will allow us to flourish.
One boss that I worked for used to do this all the time, not only with me, but with others in the team. He would impose his limits onto us, he would stop people from tying to do things that he didn’t believe that he could do. He couldn’t do it, so he didn’t believe it could be done by anyone.
This kept the performance of his department at a very average level, he seemed less concerned about that and the threat that that might have on his career, than he did about anyone in his team achieving a significant goal.
He kept lowering targets, to ensure that we would achieve them, and that we could then claim to be successful.
It was soul destroying to work for him, there was very little positive growth and zero inspiration.
If you find yourself in that position I would suggest, if possible, that you look to a find a different Leader for yourself as soon as possible.
Leaders should help us stand on their shoulders to reach new heights, not keep their feet on our shoulders to maintain their position.
We are all capable of so much more, but we need to have a Leader that encourages us to reach our full potential, that pushes us to new heights; not one who holds us back because of his lack of self belief.
We only get one life, so don’t let anyone be a limit to what you can achieve.
Gordon Tredgold