Leading Without Power – The Power of Unconscious Belief and Reading Your Reality

Unearthing the Truth 

Your core beliefs are unconscious – you grew up with them and developed them in response to your environment. So, how can you discover what you believe about yourself? Mindfulness Muse recommends a technique called laddering down. This involves a series of questions to uncover the core belief that affects your leadership and colours how you see the world. It can also help you reclaim power in a situation where you feel powerless.

Begin with a strong statement about any important area of your life – money, health, relationships, work, managers or jobs. Then make referring statements to unearth its meaning. Once you find your belief, you can examine if it is serving you and if that is the story you want to tell yourself. If you change that story, you will change your belief, and hence, your behavior. 

Laddering Down

Strong Statement: I have no control over my workday. 

Questions to ladder down:

• What if I have no control over my workday? What does it mean? 
• It means I am in firefighting mode all day. 
• What if I am in firefighting mode all day? What does it mean?
• It means I will jump whenever my boss, my crew or my customers want something.
• What if I jump whenever my boss, my crew or my customers want something? What does it mean?

Scenario A

• It means I will lose my job if I don’t please them. 
• What if I lose my job? What will it mean? 

At this point, you may say – I’ll be relieved – in which case you should re-examine why you are there. 

Or you may say - It means I am incompetent. It means no one will respect me. I means I must please others to be worthy - I am unworthy unless I please other people all the time.

Ask yourself if that is true, and if that is the story you want to tell yourself.

Scenario B

• It means it isn’t my fault if things don’t get prioritized, finished or done correctly.
• What if it isn’t my fault if things don’t get prioritized, finished or done correctly? What does it mean?
• It means I avoid blaming myself or getting blamed because I didn’t do anything wrong and don’t have to change anything.

If you believe your job is to avoid getting blamed and keep everything the way it is because you are comfortable that way, that will be a big revelation for you to work on.

This is the final installment in the Leading Without Power Trilogy. If you missed the first two, check out Solo Podcast 1 and Solo Podcast 2 on the website.

If you have faced incidents at the workplace or have some ideas that you would like me to discuss on the podcast, please write to marie@shiftworkplace.com.