Limitations – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Lifting the Lid Off Your Limitations

Posted June 5, 2023June 8, 2023
by admin

Life has no limitations, except the ones you make. – Les Brown

During his first year of graduate study at the University of California, at Berkeley, George B. Dantzig (later known as the father of linear programming) arrived late for a statistic class. He saw two problems on the blackboard. Assuming they were homework, he copied them and a few days later turned in his solutions.

One Sunday morning about six weeks afterward, the professor appeared at Dantzig’s door, waving a manuscript. It turned out that the professor had merely written two examples of unsolvable problems on the blackboard. The work was Dantzig’s manuscript for publication.

The story is a great example of what we can achieve when we set our minds to something – but beyond that, what can happen when the label of “unsolvable” is removed from the conversation?

As much as I’m fascinated by the story and what Dantzig did, it also makes me wonder how many other classmates attempted to solve the problem and how many didn’t even make the effort due to the problems being labeled unsolvable.

Think for a moment about your own experiences. Can you think of a time when you attempted to do something but quit somewhere in the process because someone came along and convinced you that it couldn’t be done?

Now think for a moment about how that situation could have turned for you had you not listened to the voices of those imposing those limitations on you.

Amelia Earhart said, “The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” The great divide between stepping up and doing, and just wishing you could is found by embracing the courage to act. It’s all about lifting the lid off of your limitations. Click To Tweet

Lifting the lid off your limitations begins with identifying them. Here are two of the most common limitations lids you will face as a leader. Which one is holding you back?

The limitations of your own creation

The single greatest lid on your limitations is the ones you create in your own mind. When your fears and reservations play like reels on a loop in your own mind and it’s all that you entertain, it will hold you down at every turn. If you don’t win this battle, you will never lift the lid off your limitations and reach your full potential.

The limitations of others that you believe

Any person committed to growing and reaching their full potential will eventually hear the voices of those who say that what you are attempting to do can’t be done. They will try to convince you that your dream is too big or your dream is unattainable. At this point, at this crossroads, you have a choice to make. And the choice will either move you close to the direction of your dreams and goals or will hold you back.

Final Thoughts

Mark Twain advised, “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” And this is the decision you must make. Keep away from people who belittle your ambitions, embrace a positive mindset, and never give up on your dreams.

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Leadership In a Word: Limitations

Posted April 30, 2018
by dougdickerson

Life has no limitations, except the ones you make. – Les Brown

A word about limitations

One of the challenges in leadership is learning how to leverage your limitations. The more you grow as a leader, the more responsibilities you acquire. This means you give up certain rights in the process. It’s taking the old-school leadership pyramid where the leader is at the top and turning it upside down.

When one normally thinks of limitations it’s done so in a negative connotation. It often implies some type of handicap or restriction is holding you back. But that is not necessarily the case.

As a leader, having limitations does not mean you won’t be successful. It just means that success it will look different to you. It will come in different ways. It’s all about how you leverage your limitations. But how? Here are two different ways to think about leveraging your limitations.

Limitations help you to share the responsibilities

As you come to understand your role as a leader, which is fewer rights and more responsibilities, you come to learn how to include more people in the process. You are now in a position extend and expand your influence. When you do this you become stronger as a result.

Leveraging your limitations is about bringing people together to do what you can’t do alone. What may be a limitation for you is now a tremendous opportunity for the team. Where once before it was about leveraging yourself for success, you are now positioning your team for success. It may seem inconsequential, but the payoff can make a huge difference.

Limitations help you discover your strengths

The traditional view of limitations bends toward restrictions placed on a person- what they can’t do. But I believe that your limitations can expose you to your strengths – what you are really good at. It’s all about your point of view.

Reader’s Digest some time ago shared a story about George B. Dantzig. During his first year of graduate study at the University of California at Berkeley, he arrived late for a statistics class. He saw two problems on the blackboard. Assuming they were homework, he copied them and a few days later turned in his solutions. One Sunday morning six weeks afterward, the professor appeared at Dantzig’s door, waving a manuscript. It turned out that the professor had merely written two examples of unsolvable problems on the blackboard. The manuscript was Dantzig’s work readied for publication.

Fortunately for Dantzig, he was not in class when the professor told the students that the problems could not be solved. You leverage your leadership and your limitations when you discover your strengths and stop listening to people who tell you what you can’t do or accomplish.

Limitation quotes

“Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn’t be done.” – Amelia Earhart

“Set high standards and few limitations for yourself.” – Anthony J. D’Angelo

“There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge.” – Napoleon Hill

“”Out of limitations comes creativity.” – Debbie Allen

“If we can see past preconceived limitations, then the possibilities are endless.” – Amy Purdy

A final word

Often time the greatest limitations we have are the ones we create by our mindsets and attitudes. If you want to overcome your limitations begin there. Every other limitation you face is a creative opportunity to increase your leadership and influence. Don’t allow your limitations to define who you are and who you can become.

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What Leaders Can Learn From Their Limitations

Posted December 3, 2015
by admin

limites

If you don’t understand your limitations you won’t achieve much in your life. – Kevin Costner

During his first year of graduate study at the University of California at Berkeley, George B. Dantzig (later known as the father of linear programming) arrived late for a statistics class. He saw two problems on the blackboard. Assuming they were homework, he copied them and a few days later turned in his solutions. One Sunday morning six weeks afterward, the professor appeared at Dantzig’s door, waving a manuscript. It turned out that the professor had merely written two examples of unsolvable problems on the blackboard. The manuscript was Dantzig’s work readied for publication.

Limitations have a way of introducing us to ourselves. For some that can be an unacceptable reality. For others it can be a challenge to accept and an opportunity to seize. It all comes down to how you look at it.

For George Dantzig, he had the benefit of being late to class and thus was not aware that the problems on the board had been deemed ‘unsolvable” and thus approached the task quite differently than his classmates.

How you look at the limitations and obstacles that you face as a leader goes a long way in determining your leadership style going forward. It not only impacts you personally as a leader but it sets the tone for those around you. So what is a proper approach to facing limitations you may have? Here are three approaches worth consideration.

Limitations allow you to focus on your strengths

As a leader you can sit around and bemoan the fact that you do not possess a certain talent or attribute that is somehow holding you back. You can use it as a crutch and allow it to be your “excuse card” for your lack of progress. Or, you can re-direct your focus and build off your strengths.

When you shift your focus off of your limitations and turn it towards your areas of strength it becomes a liberating factor in your leadership. When you can thrive in the sweet spot of your strengths it will change your outlook, it will give you confidence, and will put you and your team on the right path.

Limitations cause you to build strong teams

Understanding your limitations should be empowering for you as a leader. It’s when you realize that you do not have to possess all the answers and that your wok does not have to be unproductive that your “limitations” no longer have to define you.

A smart leader realizes that the key to building a successful team is found in its diversity. What is an area of weakness or limitation for you is a strength for someone else, and their area of weakness may be the area you excel in. The secret is to play to your strengths and build off of it. As a leader you don’t have to be great at everything-just be great at one thing and let your people do the same. When you do you will be unstoppable.

Limitations create uncommon opportunities

How different do you think your organization would function if all of your team members played exclusively to their strengths? What impact do you think it would have on morale, productivity, and your bottom line? I dare say it would be profound.

I think it’s important to have margin in our lives. That is to say we should all be striving to improve and be the very best we can be and be open to learning new things. But we have to be realistic as well. We create opportunities for success when we put the right people in the right place and play to our strengths.

When you understand your limitations then you can maximize your strengths to your advantage. You can turn ordinary opportunities turn into extra-ordinary ones not because you have limitations, but because you understood them and you surrounded yourself with the right people.

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