The principle mark of genius is not perfection but originality, the opening of new frontiers. – Arthur Koestler
In his book Houdini, author Harold Kellock shares a story about Houdini on one of his European tours when Houdini found himself locked in his own thinking.
After he had been searched and manacled in a Scottish town jail, the turnkey shut him in a cell and walked away. Houdini quickly freed himself from his shackles and then tackled the cell lock. But despite all his efforts, the lock would not open. Finally, ever more desperate but completely exhausted, he leaned against the door- and it swung open so unexpectedly that he nearly fell headlong into the corridor. The turnkey had not locked it.
Houdini was not locked in a cell by a key but by a belief.
Your belief systems directly influence every part of your life. The larger question is: what does your belief system look like? Let’s explore a few ways this happens in your life.
Wrong beliefs and assumptions lead to wrong actions
Houdini assumed the door was locked. Because his assumption was wrong, his actions were wrong. Wrong assumptions caused him to waste a lot of time and energy trying to accomplish something that was not even necessary. It will do the same for you.
Decisions you make as a leader must be grounded in facts and reality. The worst thing you can do as a leader is to make decisions based on bad information. Click To Tweet When this happens, you waste valuable time. Your people lose confidence in your leadership.
Wrong actions lead to wrong conclusions
Because Houdini believed the door was locked, he worked tirelessly to open it. Imagine his reaction when he leaned on the door and it opened, realizing that he had been needlessly working to solve a problem that did not exist. I can only imagine his frustration when the cell door opened that was not even locked.
When your thinking is wrong then wrong actions will follow. This leads you and your team to make faulty conclusions. This only compounds already strained morale.
Understand the power of right-thinking leadership
You do not want to be locked in by negative thinking as a leader. Right-thinking leaders seek solutions, explore options, empower their team, and share the credit. Right-thinking leaders have a mindset shift that’s not fixed but one that is growing, expanding, and overcoming its challenges because they refuse to be trapped by limited belief systems.
Your growth as a leader is determined by the choices you make. Don’t allow yourself to be trapped by beliefs that hold you back and limit your leadership capacity. Embrace right-thinking leadership with a passion to grow and your possibilities will be unlimited.
© 2024 Doug Dickerson
