As a business owner or senior leader, it’s natural to focus on strategy, sales, and operations. But one often-overlooked factor might be quietly shaping your results and could be playing a significant role in determining failure or success. This is your mindset.
Mindset can be overhyped online, with some turning it into a kind of formula for instant results. The reality is simpler: for leaders and business owners, it’s a quiet but meaningful factor that can influence how your business performs over time.
Think of your mindset as a mirror: how you see yourself, your team, and your business directly influences the outcomes you create.
Could You Be an Invisible Obstacle?
Most business owners don’t intend to hold their business back. It’s simply that they don’t necessarily realise the obstacles to growth could start with themselves.
Some common signs include:
- Staying operational because “the business needs me” rather than focusing on growth.
- Avoiding difficult conversations with clients, suppliers, or team members.
- Overloading your schedule instead of prioritising high-impact tasks.
- Relying on familiar methods that may no longer work because “this is how we’ve always done it”.
- Putting off long-term planning because “there’s always tomorrow”.
- Waiting for perfect timing instead of taking small steps forward every day.
- Struggling to delegate, even when the team is capable.
- Hesitating to make tough decisions for fear of making a mistake.
- Getting stuck in reactive mode rather than being proactive about opportunities.
- Avoiding feedback or new perspectives that could challenge your current approach.
“I Don’t Have Time”: A Mindset, Not a Fact
When you say, “I don’t have time,” it’s often representative of something deeper. You may have created a business that is too dependent on you to function, or your leadership focus might not be on what matters most.
What worked at one stage of growth could quietly limit the next.
A gentle but important question to consider:
Has the business outgrown the way you’re leading it?
In coaching, “I don’t have time” often translates to:
- “I don’t trust others to do this yet”
- “I feel safer staying close to the detail”
- “Stepping back feels risky”
Being busy feels productive, but it can take time away from the strategic thinking that drives real growth. Time doesn’t appear by working harder. It appears when leaders rethink their role and embrace the advice of Michael E. Gerber, who said, “If your business can’t run without you, you don’t own a business – you own a job.”
Your Lens Shapes Your Results
Your perspective, shaped by past experiences, beliefs, and assumptions, determines how you interpret opportunities and challenges. Often, your reactions to others reveal something about yourself – a skill to develop, a habit to adjust, or a belief that’s silently limiting you.
Ask yourself honestly:
- What assumptions am I making, and are they really true?
- Am I seeing opportunities as risks because of past experiences?
- Could I be limiting my team by seeing them through my “old lens”?
- How would a different perspective change my actions today?
- How do I feel about money and success? Do I feel I deserve this growth or profit?
- Are my beliefs about money shaping how I price, invest, or scale my business?
How To Change Limiting Beliefs
Understanding that you’re limiting yourself is step one. Following that should be the thought, okay, how do I change? Here are some steps that will help you change limiting beliefs:
- Notice them: Awareness is the first step
- Question them: Ask, “Is this belief really true, or just a habit of thinking?”
- Reframe them: Replace limiting thoughts with empowering alternatives. For example, “I can delegate effectively” instead of “No one else can do this.”
- Take small actions: Test new beliefs with real-world steps. Confidence grows through practice and repeated exposure.
- Reflect and reiterate: Review your mindset regularly and adjust it as you grow.
Your mindset sets the boundaries for what’s possible in your business. It shapes how your team shows up and determines which opportunities you notice or overlook, opening the door to growth.
A business coach gives you a fresh perspective and a safe space to reflect on your habits and decisions. With their guidance, you can uncover blind spots, try new approaches, and gradually build a business that thrives – even when you’re not involved in every detail.
