Do you believe you can change?

Probably Henry Ford also encountered many challenges in creating his first automobile in 1896.

Born in 1863 into a farming family and with a special aptitude for engineering, he finally built his own cylinder engine at age 30. I am curious to see his wife Clara's face when he demonstrated this cylinder engine on the kitchen counter on Christmas Eve. The making process must have gone by fits and starts. And his surroundings will also have often looked on, shaking their heads.

As a "recovering chronic perfectionist”, developing a growth mindset is a daily workout for me.

Just today I was preparing a coaching session on this very topic. And oops, I put my freshly brewed coffee on the tray. Tada, a coffee stain. That immediately sets off all kinds of alarm bells in my head. Thoughts like ‘oh no, now I have to make a new printout’, ‘the client must think I'm sloppy’.

Let's put it this way, making mistakes will never become my hobby, but I learn from them every day. Because trying to mask my mistakes takes a lot more effort on my part.

In my practice as an executive coach, I work with people who have reached a certain level through hard work and presentation. Often you then get hung up a lot on intelligence and end up in the comfort zone: you avoid challenges, try to appear smart and seek confirmation in personality or character. You don't want to experience the feeling of failure, appearing stupid or being rejected. This limits your performance, ability to learn and progress.

When you work with me we will stretch that comfort zone and I will challenge you to explore multiple sides of yourself. Also what you keep yourself small in or where you avoid risks. For example, if I hear you say “I can't do that,” my answer will be "not yet. By examining the obstacles and making the steps smaller, you probably can.