Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building, and golajiving. This
Speaker 1: is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul
Speaker 1: Fello Aledo. Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute
Speaker 1: Leadership Podcast. It's episode to twenty and today's episode is
Speaker 1: all about mental traps and how to avoid them. These
Speaker 1: mental traps can hinder your growth, cloud your decision making,
Speaker 1: and limit your ability to inspire others. So let's talk
Speaker 1: about each one and discuss some practical strategies to overcome them.
Speaker 1: And first up is the perfectionism trap. Perfectionism often disguises
Speaker 1: itself as a strength. As leaders, we aim for high standards,
Speaker 1: but when those standards become unattainable, they can cause delays, frustration,
Speaker 1: and even burnout. Perfectionism can prevent us from acting until
Speaker 1: everything feels just right and the reality is perfect conditions
Speaker 1: rarely exist. The perfectionism trap delays decision making and execution,
Speaker 1: It fosters a fear of failure within your team, and
Speaker 1: it can make you overly critical of yourself in others.
Speaker 1: So we avoid this one by focusing on progress over perfection.
Speaker 1: Set clear goals with realistic milestones and celebrate small wins
Speaker 1: along the way and adopt a growth mindset. Embrace mistakes
Speaker 1: as opportunities to learn and improve, and delegate effectively. Trust
Speaker 1: your team to deliver results, even if their methods differ
Speaker 1: from your own. The next one is the impostor syndrome trap.
Speaker 1: Impostor syndrome sneaks in when we achieve new levels of
Speaker 1: success or face significant challenges. That inner voice may whisper
Speaker 1: You're not good enough or you don't deserve this role,
Speaker 1: and have left unchecked. It can erode your confidence and
Speaker 1: make you hesitant to lead effectively. The imposter syndrome trap
Speaker 1: can cause you to undervalue your achievements. It may lead
Speaker 1: to self doubt and indecision, and it can prevent you
Speaker 1: from advocating for yourself and your ideas. To avoid it,
Speaker 1: recognize your achievements, keep a journal of accomplishments, and revisit
Speaker 1: it when doubt creeps in and you have to reframe
Speaker 1: negative thoughts. Replace self doubt with affirming statements like I've
Speaker 1: earned this position and I'm capable of success, and seek support.
Speaker 1: Share your feelings with a trusted mentor or colleague who
Speaker 1: can provide perspective and encouragement. The third one is the
Speaker 1: comparison trap, and again, in a world of LinkedIn updates
Speaker 1: and social media reels and highlights, it's easy to fall
Speaker 1: into the trap of comparing your journey to others. You
Speaker 1: might see peers who seem more accomplished, confident, or successful,
Speaker 1: and wonder if you measure up. The comparison trap shifts
Speaker 1: your focus away from your own goals and strengths. It
Speaker 1: creates feelings of inadequacy and resentment, and it diminishes your
Speaker 1: unique leadership style. To avoid it, you have to focus
Speaker 1: on your own path, reflect on your growth and the
Speaker 1: progress you've made over time. Limit your social media consumption,
Speaker 1: Reduce exposure to all that stuff that you're looking at
Speaker 1: online that's making you feel this way, celebrate others' wins.
Speaker 1: Practicing genuine support for others helps eliminate envy and strengthens relationships.
Speaker 1: And the fourth one is the scarcity mindset trap. Leaders
Speaker 1: with a scarcity mindset believe there's never enough enough time, resources,
Speaker 1: or opportunities. This mindset fosters fear based decision making and
Speaker 1: creates unnecessary competition within the teams. The scarcity mindset trap
Speaker 1: discourages collaboration and innovation. It can lead to hoarding of
Speaker 1: resources or micromanaging, and it creates a negative team culture
Speaker 1: that's rooted in fear in distrust. To avoid it, you
Speaker 1: have to adopt an abundance mindset. Look for creative ways
Speaker 1: to maximize resources and opportunities. For example, empower your team
Speaker 1: to find solutions rather than focusing solely on limitations, and
Speaker 1: encourage collaboration. Create an environment where ideas and resources are
Speaker 1: freely shared, and celebrate possibilities. Shift your language from we
Speaker 1: can't to what's possible to spark innovation. The number five
Speaker 1: the over commitment trap. And again, in an effort to
Speaker 1: please others or prove their dedication, leaders may over extend themselves.
Speaker 1: Saying yes to every request or project leads to burnout,
Speaker 1: reduced effectiveness, and frustration for both you and your team.
Speaker 1: The over commitment trap divides your focus and diminishes the
Speaker 1: quality of your work. It sets unrealistic expectations for your availability,
Speaker 1: and it can lead to resentment and stress. To avoid
Speaker 1: this one, you have to prioritize ruthlessly. Identify your top
Speaker 1: three priorities and focus your time and energy on them.
Speaker 1: Learn to say no politely. Decline requests that don't align
Speaker 1: with your goals or capacity, and delegate wisely. Empower team
Speaker 1: members to take ownership of tasks where they can excel.
Speaker 1: So mental traps, We've all been there, but mental traps
Speaker 1: thrive when leaders doubt themselves, operate on autopilot or in
Speaker 1: reactive mode when underprepared. To overcome them, you have to
Speaker 1: practice intentional leadership, have confidence in yourself and remember your journey.
Speaker 1: Regular self reflection, feedback from trusted sources, and a commitment
Speaker 1: to personal growth will keep you on track. Remember, great
Speaker 1: leaders aren't those who avoid challenges altogether, but those who
Speaker 1: confront and overcome them with the resilience and purpose. This
Speaker 1: has been the seven Minute Leadership Podcast, and I thank
Speaker 1: you for listening. For more, Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts,
Speaker 1: visit paulfellowalito dot com