June 2012: Challenge conventional wisdom.

Everywhere we turn in our personal and professional lives, there are assumptions, norms and rules – prevailing thought about what is and isn’t possible. Much of this conventional wisdom perpetuates fear and mediocrity.  It keeps us inside a box.

Whether we’re deciding whether to invest in a new project, make a new hire, sell the house, go back to school, have another child, build a new plant, or sell our large-cap stock, prevailing thought will tell us whether or not it’s a good idea. Most people accept that thought as fact. That’s what makes it prevailing.  Conventional.

By definition, leading requires us to be out in front; to take risks and innovate to find a better way forward.  As leaders, it’s our job to challenge assumptions and question those things that we’re told are “the way it is.”  

If we stay inside the lines of conventional thought, we will only venture as far as their boundaries will allow.  Today, think about how you can start erasing the lines that stand between you and possibility.