One of the biggest breakthroughs in coaching leaders and teams is helping them identify and question the story driving self-limiting behaviors.
Not the behavior. That’s only the symptom.
But the underlying story: the assumption that formed years ago, may have fueled past success, and now shows up automatically under pressure with very different results.
For example:
“If I don’t stay on top of every detail, everything will fall apart.”
Staying on top of every detail might have been your calling card in the past, especially for strong operators.
But it may not be your strongest value-add now.
It doesn’t scale.
And it is guaranteed to demotivate the capable people you’ve hired.
So, in coaching, I explore these three questions with my clients:
• What is the story driving this behavior you want to change?
• When did it become true for you?
• And how true is it in this role, with these stakes, right now?
Being able to name and check the story driving your behavior in the moment is a critical leadership skill. Without it:
Strong operators can become overfunctioners.
Clarity turns into control.
Grit becomes exhaustion.
The work is helping my clients catch the story before it runs the meeting, the decision, or the day.
That breakthrough is invaluable.
Every single time.
When someone creates space to see whether they’re truly stuck, or simply reacting to an old story, they now have the power to update.