Photo: © Copyright Sonya Calooy, 2024
This past weekend I participated in a workshop that explored how our conscious and subconscious beliefs control our inner nature. Participants were able to push past self-limiting beliefs in order to demonstrate amazing capabilities. For example, I learned that I am capable of bending sturdy metal spoons using only my mind and one hand. (See photo of one of my bent spoons above.)
To say that I was amazed is an understatement. The fact that I was able to achieve this feat with such ease was what “blew my mind.” What enabled me to accomplish this with ease was mindful meditation, an intense focus on pure joy, and “listening” to the metal of the spoon. I was able to generate considerable heat in my hands, felt a surge of electrical impulses, and then bent the metal spoon as soon as it felt like it was simply part of my hand.
To learn that we are capable of manipulating the physical world in a way that defies expectations has caused me to wonder how often we might limit ourselves because we are controlled by beliefs that no longer serve us. I recall the anecdotal feat of hysterical strength accomplished by a mother that lifted a car in order to save the life of her child. Stories such as this seem to occur when humans are under extreme duress yet have been proven difficult to recreate under laboratory settings. By contrast, my spoon-bending experience took place under conditions that were not only reproducible, but also in a condition that was quite the opposite of duress: that of pure joy.
You may be wondering how this relates to leadership. I believe it does so in several ways. In the post-pandemic era when company restructuring and reorganizing seems to take place with greater frequency, we often find ourselves being asked to accomplish something seemingly impossible due to competing priorities, the amount of work on our plate, time constraints, or lack of resources. In such cases, the work appears insurmountable. Yet if the right conditions were present, such as freedom to explore and experiment without fear of failure, we ourselves as well as our teams could innovate and deliver with greater ease. Creativity flows when our minds are relaxed, focused, and open to exploration. Solutions often come when we aren’t necessarily focused on the task at hand but are instead relaxed and are doing something else for a while. This is akin to innovative ideas emerging when we first awake from sleep, take a meditative walk, enjoy an unrelated hobby, or even just taking a shower. Our body and mind are relaxed while the subconscious then takes over and solutions are allowed to bubble up.
When Google first initiated its time off program known as “20 Percent Time” in 2004, it was reported to have increased staff productivity and innovation because employees were given the chance to explore passion projects one day per week. However, according to the Ephemera Journal and HRZone.com, by 2013 the program was concluded because exploitation of these passion projects became discouraging for staff to pursue. In essence, creativity flourished in the early days of the program when there was little pressure to produce something commercially viable, then eroded once managerial pressure to produce became a misuse of the purported gift of freedom.
As I was suddenly able to bend a metal spoon with ease when I wouldn’t or couldn’t have otherwise, I found the lesson to be that by allowing the mind to relax and be joyful, we increase our ability to solve problems and perform tasks with greater ease. If managers and leaders allow the pressure of constant change and uncertainty to drive greater expectations of teams with fewer employees, they will undoubtedly see a greater reduction in overall ROI. A rebalancing of employee expectations and strategic shifts in prioritization is certainly called for and yet may not be enough. Providing psychological safety and the freedom to explore without fear of failure or reprimand can significantly enhance employee engagement and well-being, thereby increasing the likelihood of exceeding expectations.
Takeaways for managers and leaders:
Coaching can help us to release self-limiting beliefs.
Encourage employees to take work breaks that allow time to relax and focus on well-being.
Provide employees with psychological safety by allowing them to explore and take risks without fear of punishment for failure.
By embracing the power of a relaxed and joyful mind, both leaders and employees can unlock extraordinary potential, transforming opportunities for growth and innovation.