Dramatically improve yourself by mastering the Inner Game

Mastering the Inner Game: The Key to Transformational Leadership

In this episode, we dive deep into the concept of the 'inner game' versus the 'outer game.' The outer game encompasses all the external factors such as resources, strategies, and results that shape a business environment. However, it is the 'inner game,' which includes your capabilities, values, beliefs, and identity, that truly drives your behaviors and, in turn, influences the outer game. 

For CEOs and leaders, understanding and mastering this inner game can provide a significant edge in improving business outcomes. We explore the elements that make up the inner game, from deeply ingrained values and beliefs to the identity you craft for yourself. We'll discuss how questioning and understanding these elements can lead to transformational leadership. 

As a coach, my role involves helping leaders lift the lid on their inner game to ensure their beliefs and values are in service of their success and happiness. Stay tuned to learn actionable insights and homework exercises designed to help you master your inner game and elevate your leadership performance.

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Transcript

0:02

So last week, um, I introduced the concept of the inner game versus the outer game, right? The outer game is everything that we understand about really business or the world at the moment. Anyway. So that's things like resources and time and. Humans and people, you know, the very environment that you operate in as a business. It's your strategy? It's your results. It's the environment that used individual operate within. But then over here we have the inner game. The inner game is really what controls your behaviors and your behaviors. Ultimately what influence. The outer game. Especially if you're the CEO, especially if you're a leader, your behaviors dictate how your organization. Operates. And so mastering in a game can really give you the edge. To making greater improvements in the outer game. So let's talk about that back to the inner game again. So the mental elements that make it up. It starts to bottom with capabilities, right? The skills that you can, or you can't do. I'm not going to talk about that today. Because again, you're already at a point in your career where your capabilities are pretty well set. Maybe there's some things you could learn to be better at like public speaking, but on the whole, your capabilities are. Uh, skill set. That's already there for an experience that you have, right? Maybe you're great at profit loss spreadsheets, product, whatever it is, capabilities are already in the back. Next one up then I want to talk about values, right? And values are elements and things related to, I suppose, you as a human, these are things like all humans are equal. Or maybe, perhaps yours says my tribe is the best tribe. Okay. Families or other things like I give people the benefit of the doubt. My values are that I'm inherently skeptical of people. I'm inherently skeptical of numbers. Um, work hard, play hard. I don't judge people. Right. And I don't judge these beliefs me as a human being. One of my values is I'm not judgmental in this, whatever your values are, they tend to come from your folks, your parents, your upbringing, those are your values, which are set as part of you. Next layer up. Then we have beliefs and beliefs are the things that you have learned to be true in your life, right? The things you really believe about yourself and you believe about the world, right? Working long hours equals success. AK the hustle. Okay. I can do things pretty much better than anyone else can. Right. I'm great. Everything everybody else. Well, they're not quite as good as me. Being an expert is what is my superpower. I am an expert in sale. Just go to market, product technology, whatever that might be. I'm an expert. That has driven me and gives me success in the world diamond right now. Another belief might be. I can, when I send my company, I can find you relax. Um, I can coach anybody to be great. It's all about the numbers. No, it's all about the team. These are all beliefs that you've learned throughout your career throughout your life. That reflect and help to define really the next layer up, which is your identity. And your identity is wrapped up with these beliefs in these values and these capabilities, right. I can work. Long hours. I can work really hard. I'm amazing. I'm pretty much better at anybody else than anything else. I'm a one man, one woman machine I can get loads done. Right? That is your identity. You are a hustler, right? It's wrapped up within that. Maybe your inherently, you see yourself as, as a people person, I can coach anybody to be amazing at what they do. I can give visionary speeches and visionary talks and people will follow and do what I do. Um, I'm great at dealing and working in understanding people, right identity about yourself as you're a great leader in that respect. And these are all fantastic places to be. And the challenge only really comes when something comes along and really. Quite makes you question the elements of your identity, your beliefs, or your values, your beliefs, most certainly right where your mercury may be working really, really hard. And you're not having a dramatic. Effect on the bottom line of the business or your business is growing really, really quickly. And you're assuming the harder you work, the faster that business will grow. There's going to be a certain point when that isn't, that strategy is not going to work anymore. And that can show itself in two ways. One of them being, you. You freak out and you do more of it and you get more angry, you know, you emotions start to build, it can be quite frustrating for you. Equally. Maybe you see yourself as a fantastic people person, right? And when, when you've got team fails, you take that person that you see that as a failure in yourself, maybe somebody doesn't work out. You blame yourself for that. You see yourself as a failure. Emotion comes from that. It comes up and bubbles to the surface. Maybe you get angry. Maybe you got upset, whatever it is, emotion comes. And so you can see when things start to make you question you're in a game. That's when you can have a bit of a wobble and emotion can come out. And things can go wrong for you. And the reality of what I do as a coach and what I work with the CEOs is I lift the lid on these things and have a look inside because reality is with both beliefs and values they are made up of your past. They are backwards looking things and for you to be more successful right now, You need to look to the future. You can't be looking back all of the time and don't get me wrong. A lot of this stuff can stand you in good stead to get you forward. But the only really way you're going to dramatically make a change in the business or in your life is by questioning. Your. Identity your values, your beliefs. Perhaps your capabilities as well. How do you do that? Then we take that off. We investigate. Where do these come from? Where has that belief come from? That working long hours equals success. Where has the belief come from that? Everybody being in the office five days a week is where success comes from or where serendipity in innovation comes from everybody being in the same room. Where does that belief come from? That anybody is coachable. That any human can succeed, given the right resources and the right amount of time. Now I'm not questioning if these are right or wrong, I'm encouraging you to question if these are right or wrong. Where they've come from. What makes you believe that? What are the beliefs are. Possible. What other ways could you be, and really looking at transformation as a leader comes, when you question these beliefs and these values. Are they in service of you? Are they making you happy? Are they the right beliefs, your organization, are they what you need to get through this particular situation right now? Okay. And you see very. Stark. Places where this happens in the world, right? Where certain individuals, certain leaders have quite public breakdowns, right? This is includes people like will Smith giving a slap to. Um, that guy at the Oscars, this can be Elon Musk having quite a public collapse. This can be work, picking a fight with the opposition. These are all points where the inner game has gone wrong. Somewhere, where there are very identity is being questioned by outside forces and they are reacting in a different way. They're not acting they're reacting. And the reality is, is they need to take a. Uh, look at what is the inner game they're playing? Is it in service of them change those behaviors so they can change the outside world that's there around them because in essence, a lot of the strategies they're already using, aren't working for them. It's not a simple thing. Playing and changing and mastering the inner game. It takes time. And the first step on that journey is just understanding what's going on. So here's some homework for you that I'd love you to give me some feedback on. Where is the inner game in service of you? Where's it really helping you? Where are your beliefs and values? Pushing in the right direction. Where are they holding back? Where are your beliefs and values in conflict with your identity and how were you reacting to that? And what situations does that arise? Look for it. Take a step back, look at yourself in those situations because mastery only comes when you see these behaviors in yourself. Thank you very much for your time. I look forward to speaking to you soon. Bye-bye.