208: Why Progress Feels Slow and How to Fix It

Welcome to the She Thinks Big! Podcast. Get ready to level up your thinking and expand your horizons. I’m your host, Andrea Liebross, your guide on this journey of big ideas and bold moves. I am the best-selling author of She Thinks Big: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Guide to Moving Past the Messy Middle and Into the Extraordinary.

I support women like you with the insights and mindset you need to think bigger and the strategies and systems you need to turn that thinking into action and make it all a reality. Are you ready to stop thinking small and start thinking big? Let’s dive in.

Hello, my friends, and welcome back to the She Thinks Big! Podcast. How are you today? What is happening in your world? I always love to know. Send me a message. Direct message me on Instagram or on LinkedIn. Tell me what's going on. Just how are you feeling? How are you feeling?

All right. Today we're going to tackle a comment or thought that I hear often, “Why can't I just figure this out on my own?” Or “I should be able to figure this out on my own.” Or “I'm going to try this on my own first.” But here is what I want to dive into today, that's at the core of why so many of you feel stuck, you don't know what you don't know. That is why you can't totally manage or figure anything out on your own.

If you've ever found yourself sort of spinning your wheels, wondering why things aren't clicking, feeling like you're doing everything, but they're not moving forward, or if things aren't just going fast enough, this episode is for you. We're going to talk about how blind spots, fear, and isolation keep you from managing yourself effectively, think about that, keep you from managing yourself effectively, and how to break free from that cycle.

Let's get into it. So first I want to talk about the trap of self-management, we'll call it. We all love the idea of being self-sufficient. You're an entrepreneur after all. You are used to taking charge, making decisions, getting things done, but here is the kicker: No matter how capable you are, you can't manage what you can't see.

This is where the phrase “you don't know what you don't know” comes into play. There are things outside of your current awareness, blind spots, that are keeping you stuck. Because you can't see them, you think the problem is you, your strategy, or maybe even the people around you, but often the real issue is that you're missing critical insights that could change everything.

So often on a consult call, people get on and I say, "So what's getting in your way of making that happen?" And they say, "Well me, I'm getting in my way of making it happen." So yes, you are getting in the way of making it happen, I would agree with you, but what's really getting in the way are things that you really can't see, you can't see them. That then leads to what I'll call blind spots and fear.

Let's be real. We all have blind spots. I have blind spots and those blind spots are often driven by fear. Maybe it's fear of failure, fear of success, fear of the unknown. These fears keep us in a cycle of doing the same things over and over again, expecting different results.

I had a client recently that realized, finally, after some very specific things happened to her, that she has been rescuing her team and her family way too often. Then she feels like she is rescuing them. But then she is wondering why she feels so burnt out. She also was wondering why her payroll seems so high.

The payroll seems so high is because you're going in there and lecturing them and telling them what they're missing, but not letting them figure it out on their own. It's actually like they're working more hours because then when she gets involved, it doesn't necessarily speed things up. It might slow it down because she's trying to show them all the ways that they went wrong where they might just be able to figure it out on their own a lot faster.

But she's fearful that something is going to go wrong so she jumps in, kind of what I would literally consider a blind spot. When you're trying to manage yourself, it's even harder. You're stuck in your own head running through the same thoughts and ideas. She actually had this revelation of what was actually going on when she was inside the mastermind. It clicked with her. She recognized what she was doing.

That's why so many women I work with tell me, they feel like they're running on a hamster wheel. They're busy, but they're not getting anywhere. Here's the thing, without outside perspective, you won't even realize what's holding you back. Once she had that outside perspective on the situation, she did realize.

Which kind of leads me to the third point I want to make. There is power in having a guide and a community. This is where having a coach or a community makes all the difference. I was reminded of this at the retreat because, at one point, the women in the group started talking about how much they appreciate having me available on Voxer. Voxer is kind of like an app, like a walkie-talkie type of app. They love that they can reach out 24/7 and get quick feedback in an easy format. It's like having a coach in their back pocket ready to help them navigate challenges as they come up like in real time.

But it's not just about the Voxer access that's powerful, they also mentioned how valuable the one-on-one time is with me during the Mastermind. It gives them space to dig deep into specific challenges and get tailored advice. That happens inside our Mastermind.

Beyond that, we talked about how powerful it is to be part of a community of like-minded women. There's really something empowering about sitting in a room with other entrepreneurs who get it. At the Mastermind, the masterminders shared how much they appreciated having a sounding board, realizing that they're not alone in their struggles, even though someone might be in a different industry, they're all struggling with the same thing.

This is so important when you are surrounded by people who are on the same journey, you start to see your challenges in a new light. You get fresh perspectives, you get new ideas, and you get the encouragement to keep going. You can't do this alone, my friends. You need that guide, you need that community, which brings me to the fourth point I want to make about why you can't just do this on your own.

I often say you can't read the label from inside the jar. When you're deep in the day-to-day of running your business, it's almost impossible to see what's really going on. That's why having a coach or community is so crucial. You don't know what you don't know. You can't see what you can't see.

Yes, you are getting in your own way because you can't see what's happening. When you have this coaching community, they help you step outside of your jar and see the full picture. They point out the blind spots, they can read the label, and they can help you figure out what you don't know.

I have a client who really was stuck in a cycle of doing everything herself. She thought she needed to learn more about sales to teach her team. But in reality, she didn't need to do that at all. She needed to hire someone who already had the expertise. She was all about to teach her team how to be better at sales. But what if she just hired someone who was an expert at sales?

That shift in perspective saved her really months of unnecessary work. She thought she had to become an expert in sales to teach her team how to be better in sales when really all she had to do was hire an expert in sales to join her team and do it.

This brings me to the next thing I want to share and the last thing, taking action. How do you start uncovering what you don't know? First, you get curious. You start asking yourself, "What's not working right now? Where am I feeling stuck or overwhelmed? What assumptions am I making that might not be true?"

First, you get curious. Next, how do you uncover what you don't know? Or why you can't do this yourself? You surround yourself with people who can help you see clearly. Whether that's a coach or a mastermind group or even a trusted peer having someone to reflect back, what they see is invaluable. It's so valuable.

The third thing is being open to learning. Recognize that stepping into the unknown is where the growth happens. You don't have to know everything. You need to embrace the unknown, embrace uncertainty, and step into it because that's where you're going to grow, that's where you're going to think big.

Here is the bottom line. You don't have to figure this out alone. In fact, I don't think you can figure it out alone. The unknown isn't something to fear, it's really something to explore. When you embrace what you don't know, you open the door to new possibilities, and new levels of success.

When you embrace that maybe getting some help is a game changer and that you shouldn't go it alone, that's when you experience success. Okay, my friends. If today's episode resonated with you, I want to invite you to explore how coaching or joining the Mastermind could help you move forward this year.

Let's uncover, let's figure out what's holding you back, what's keeping you stuck, and how to get you off the hamster wheel. If you're ready to dive deeper, grab a copy of the book, She Thinks Big, listen to a few more podcasts right here on the same podcast player that you're listening to, listen to a few more episodes of She Thinks Big, and reach out.

Head over to andreaslinks.com and schedule a call. Let's figure out if coaching is right for you and if that's what's going to help you move forward. Until next time, keep thinking big. You've got this. See you next time.

Thanks for tuning into the She Thinks Big! Podcast. If you're ready to learn the secret to unleashing your full potential, don't forget to grab a copy of my book, She Thinks Big: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Guide to Moving Past the Messy Middle and Into the Extraordinary. It's available on Amazon and at your favorite bookstore.

And while you're there, grab a copy for a friend. Inside, you'll both find actionable strategies and empowering insights to help you navigate the complexities of entrepreneurship and life, and step confidently into your extraordinary future.

If you found value in today's episode, please consider leaving us a review on your favorite podcast platform. And if you're ready to take this learning a step further and apply it to your own business and life, head to andreaslinks.com and click the button to schedule a discovery call. Until next time, keep thinking big.