Misfit decorations of Christmas past held onto too long… representing what outdated subconscious beliefs can look like in leadership…

Have you ever left a day at the office and thought, huh, why did I respond that way in that meeting? Or why do I keep doing these things I promise myself not to?

New studies are finding that our subconscious drives 80-90% of our thoughts, words, and actions during a single day. According to a book I’m listening to, Spellbound, by Psychiatrist Daniel Lieberman, our subconscious also has larger processing power than the more logical parts of our brain. 

Basically what this means is unless you do the work to understand and sort through what’s in your subconscious you don’t really have control of how you show up and what you do everyday. Crazy right?

It’s a lot like a computer that needs to clean out its hard drive. 

In leadership this can look like…

Saying you’re ready to step up and lead more strategically while also prioritizing leaving on time to spend more quality time with your family. But your actions tell a different story. You’re never delegating to your team and find you’re taking on even more grunt work, keeping yourself in the weeds and at work for long hours. 

You hire really strong team members, and you say you’re not a micromanager. But again your actions tell a different story. You don’t share with your team what your vision is or what success looks like in their role and for the company. You find yourself constantly disappointed with their work and instead of asking questions find yourself texting, calling, and emailing at all hours. 

Both of the above examples have similar negative consequences if not worked on: unhappy employees, costly turnover, burnout, lower profitability, poor decision making, lower ability to persevere, lack of out of the box thinking, short term wins trump long term vision and goals etc. 

There are many other examples. When you look at your life and your leadership and find the spots where your actions aren’t matching your words there is likely subconscious clutter, in the form of old beliefs, personas, stories, etc. 

When you truly want to show up as your best, empower your team, and lead your business successfully into the future, it’s important you do the necessary work of clearing the inner clutter. 

Working with a coach or therapist is a great way to do this, but in the meantime here are some simple prompts I use for myself and my clients. 

Ask yourself the following questions:

• What is my ideal vision for my leadership style and life?
• Where am I making things harder than they need to be? Where are my actions not matching with my vision and whom I say I want to be?
• Why am I doing this?
• What’s one thing I could do differently this week to shift this?

Simple methods to clear the clutter and gain more clarity:

• 5 minutes of journaling at the end of the day (you can even use the questions above as a prompt) – here’s a great article on the proven benefits of journaling. 
• 5 minutes of meditating once a day. It’s similar to shutting your computer down when nothing else seems to work. You can also use a question above as a prompt to see what your subconscious delivers to you during this pause. 
• Walking, yes walking. Preferably in nature, but any walking is better than none at all. I get my BEST ideas on a walk. Here’s a great video from a neuroscientist on the power that walking has on the brain. 
• My previous post on the clutter in our homes, also works for this!

All of the above give you greater self-awareness as to what is driving your subconscious and they empower you to shift your subconscious into greater alignment with your dreams. 

You deserve to feel your best and be confident in your ability to show up as your best time and time again. 

If you know someone who fits the above and is ready to be coached as they shift from where they are to where they want to be, send them my way. The first call is always free, and I look forward to supporting them as they build towards their best life.