110: How to Tune Up Your Internal Operations

Find the full transcript, and more resources for operations executives, at yourfuturerealized.com/110.

For all the talk about company and team dynamics, we rarely talk about the culture that matters most—the one between your ears. 

Think about the vibe you set for yourself, the stories and doubts you carry into every meeting, every decision, every hard day. What’s it like in there? Is your inner world honest and curious, or constantly judging and second-guessing. 

A lot of leaders drive results every day while battling an unforgiving headspace. Here’s what I know: the culture in your own head sets the tone for everything else. What you tolerate inside, shows up outside. When you trust yourself, your team feels it. When you’re stuck in doubt and self-criticism, that’s what you pass on.

In this episode, you’ll get a practical way to start shaping a healthier, stronger culture in your own head. 

Transcript

For all the talk about company and team dynamics, we rarely talk about the culture that matters most—the one between your ears. 

Think about the vibe you set for yourself, the stories and doubts you carry into every meeting, every decision, every hard day. What’s it like in there? Is your inner world honest and curious, or constantly judging and second-guessing?

A lot of leaders drive results every day while battling an unforgiving headspace. Here’s what I know: the culture in your own head sets the tone for everything else. What you tolerate inside, shows up outside. When you trust yourself, your team feels it. When you’re stuck in doubt and self-criticism, that’s what you pass on.

In this episode, you’ll get a practical way to start shaping a healthier, stronger culture in your own head. Find the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/110.

Hey Ops Execs, 

Be honest: how often do you end your day replaying a meeting, analyzing every word you said—or didn’t—and beating yourself up for not handling it differently?

The Real Cost of Self-Doubt and Second-Guessing

It’s exhausting, isn’t it? And it’s not actually helping you or your team.

This is tough to swallow but: You will get things wrong. You’ll miss stuff. You’ll wish you’d chosen differently. That’s just part of it. But how you respond matters far more than having a perfect record.

But what do you do with all that mental chatter? One simple resource I use is called a thought ladder. Think of it like resetting the thermostat in your brain.

Introducing the Thought Ladder: Your Mental Thermostat

The thought ladder helps you notice how you talk to yourself, challenge it, and then shift it slowly—just a few degrees at a time. You can’t realistically or sustainably jump from “I’m terrible at this” straight to “I’m crushing it.” But you can take one small step up.

So, if right now the culture in your head is a mess of doubt, noticing it is the first, most important step. Because generally we tend to just let those things keep playing like background noise.

Once you’re aware of the thoughts that are buzzing around your head, you can start to dial up the temperature one step at a time. It takes practice, and a bit of discipline. You set the tone, then keep coming back to it, again and again. 

It’s not hours of self-work, just the regular discipline of checking in and nudging your mental thermostat back to steady, focused self-respect.

Steps for Building a Stronger Internal Culture

What would that look like in real life? Well:

• Next time you’re beating yourself up or spiraling after a tough call, PAUSE. 
• Ask yourself: What’s the story I’m telling myself here? 
• Then ask: Is thinking of it this way really helping me? Does it really hold up? What would a wiser, kinder thought sound like, even just one notch up?

Here’s your question to take into the week: How can you remind yourself—right when you need it most—to pause and reset the culture between your ears?

I think that leadership lives in how you treat yourself when things aren’t perfect. That’s where your power really starts.

So, give it a try, and let me know how it goes.

If this strikes a chord and you’re ready to take things deeper, take a listen to episode 58: “How Not Having All the Answers Can Fuel Your Ops Team.” You’ll hear real talk about how to lead with curiosity, even when you’re feeling full of doubt. Find it at yourfuturerealized.com/58.

You can’t stop the chaos, but you can change the game.