“Most people live in their heads. They have their dream, they have their goal, they have the desire, they get hyped up about it, they get fearful about it, and they just don’t execute,” says Tony Robbins, speaker, author, entrepreneur, and life coach.
“We all have kind of a blueprint, if you will, of how we’re supposed to be, how people are supposed to treat us, what we should and shouldn’t do, and those blueprints were developed years ago…Sometimes our blueprint empowers us, and sometimes there’s an inherent limitation in our unconscious mind,” says Tony Robbins in this video.
“80 percent of success is psychology, 20 percent is the mechanics. 
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a strategist. The right strategy can save you a decade, but if you don’t have the right psychology, you’ll learn the strategy and you won’t apply it. Psychology is the driving force that creates an extraordinary business and an extraordinary business and an extraordinary life.”
Tony Collins, Aileron Business Coach, agrees—saying that while learning new skills and tools is important, the great majority of business owners are not getting more of want they want because of their mindset.
The mindset of business leaders is the number one thing that can get in their way of achieving their vision and becoming their best self.
“It’s a bold statement, but think about the last time you felt stuck. You could not move forward but wanted to. It happens to all of us,” explains Tony Collins.
Put simply, the “being stuck” feeling is a mindset. It’s where we, unconsciously, say to ourselves statements such as, “Things should not be this way,” or, “It should not be this hard.”
It also can sound similar to the following statements:
- “I should be able to grow this business faster”
- “The business should be able to grow faster”
- “My employees should know what I want”
The challenge: these “should statements” can get in the way of our ability to execute. They can get in the way of our ability to change, or even our ability to stay disciplined on the path to achieving our vision.
How to Break Free From ‘Should Statements’
To move away from fear-based thoughts (and emotions and actions that follow), the first step is becoming more aware of your own thoughts.
Then, instead of saying “should…”, a person can shift the “should” to a “could.” For example: “How could I grow the business?”
Structured this way, the question is much more positive. “It actually changes the wiring of your brain to say, ‘Yes, how could I?’” explains Tony Collins. It’s a simple example, but it shows the power of self-awareness combined with shifting your thought.
In this video, Phillip Stoller, former Aileron Business Coach, shares how he stepped back and gained awareness in a complex situation outside of work. The thought shift that resulted helped him to better manage his emotions and respond more rationally to a situation with his family.
In the story, Phillip’s thought shift went from saying “I have to” and changed to “I get to.”
His story exemplifies how self-awareness, what we tell ourselves, and how we show up is all within our control each day. When we understand the thoughts we have that are driving our feelings and behaviors, we can choose to shift our mindset, and we can choose to think (and act) differently.
The more you practice the thought-emotion-action model, the more you’re able to adjust your leadership style and the more you can manage your emotions and actions to your benefit.
Tony Collins says being able to practice this shift in mindset turbo-charges the impact of the skillsets and toolsets taught at Aileron. “I often see a shift in the business owners ability to get more and better work done often with much less effort. And much more joy!” he says.
Master the Psychological Side of Business Ownership
“Leaders can see new possibilities and opportunities when they have the ability to shift their mindset. I see it all the time where teams become much more engaged. The owner can get more done, with less effort and less pain…[It’s a change in energy]; now they see the possibilities and don’t let the limiting thoughts hold them back.” —Tony Collins
Do you have the desire to spur change? Whether it’s in yourself, your team, or your organization, if you want to learn how, and you want to grow to get more of what you want, take the steps to learn more about Conscious Leadership. Becoming a more conscious leader will help you think about the possibilities, and it will help you be able to get your people to do the same.
