When I was at secondary school, I remember consciously thinking that I didn’t want to try too hard in case I bumped up against the edges of my potential. The thought of knowing where those boundaries were was more awful than any rewards that may have come with going ‘all in’ on my studies.
It’s an ethos that didn’t serve me well. I have learned in the years since leaving Sale High School that when you don’t honour your potential, you are effectively consigning your self-esteem to the scrap heap of life.
This is a very bad thing for any person who is interested in being an effective leader of self and an inspiring leader of others.
What is potential?
Your potential isn’t just your raw talent or your innate abilities. In my view, it is about the possibilities that lie dormant within all of us. Those possibilities exist within our interests and passions, our strengths, the experiences we have, the people we spend time with, our bravery and our willingness to test all of that.
Embracing growth
Honouring your potential begins with a mindset and a choice to be open to growth. None of us is born with a pre-determined set of skills or capabilities. We learn and evolve as we go through life and I firmly believe that with enough determination and effort, it’s possible to do and be almost anything.
It’s a cliché, but growth never happens inside your comfort zone. It often asks you to step out into the unknown where I have certainly encountered plenty of discomfort and sometimes even pain. And these are the times when I’ve always experienced the greatest amount of growth.
Not fearing failure
Feeling into our potential means we need to be willing to face obstacles head on. It requires you to think differently about mistakes or setbacks, embracing those things as stepping stones to growth and improvement. To paraphrase a lot of minds far greater than mind, there is no such thing as failure – only opportunities to learn and grow. It’s a reframe I’ve put to great use in my own life as I mine those “failures” for tidbits of information that could help me do better next time.
Knowing yourself
Self-awareness is central to unlocking your potential (and a foundation for all great leadership). Your ability to recognise your strengths, weaknesses, values, triggers and motivations helps you make far better decisions. It’s a journey of introspection and reflection that can ultimately set you on a path where your potential can shine.
Continuous learning
I’m lucky here, because learning is a kind of hobby for me. I do it for relaxation and fun. I can tell you for sure that when we learn new knowledge or skills, our perspectives expand. What better way to understand new possibilities than to expand your thinking!
Inspiring others
Honouring your potential isn’t a solo adventure. It’s a journey that can inspire other people around you. As leaders, we have a unique opportunity (and perhaps even an obligation) to share our experiences and insights to help expand other people’s perspectives and their own sense of possibility. I couldn’t tell you how many times every week I take inspiration from other people, whether it’s the people I meet or spend time with, people I listen to on podcasts or in the media or people I read about. The world is literally full of ideas, experiences, perspectives and opportunities to learn, grow and expand.
Know that your potential is not limited
When I look back to my teenaged self – the girl who was afraid to test the boundaries of her own potential in the belief that there were hard limits – I feel sad. Because now I can see that human potential – your potential – is limitless. It all begins with a willingness to imagine the possibilities.
Work with me!
I love working leaders to help them maximise their potential and that of their teams. Working one-on-one or in group/team settings, I offer bespoke leadership development programs to inspire, motivate and skill-up emerging and established leaders.
Email karen@o2advisory.com.au to find out more.
