Couple months ago, I hired someone new in our team.
In our 1:1s, I noticed they kept asking the question: “Is this possible?”
- “Is it possible to add this feature on our admin panel so it can help with operations?”
- “Is it possible to download a .csv of users?”
- “Is it possible to ask the developers to help me with a task?”
I saw it as a symptom of limiting beliefs that they had about themselves. Maybe intuitively they knew the answer was “yes” but it still caused them to feel the need to ask for permission or stay unsure of themselves and what actually was possible.
The next time htey mentioned it, I instead told them: “Yes, everything is possible.” Because, everything is! “If you believe this is important for our customers or for the team, then I want you to advocate for it, not wait for someone to say you can.”
I found the reframing helped them feel more empowered to speak up for what was important, instead of waiting to ask for permission.
I try to remind myself the same thing everyday, too.
Sometimes, in a world of jaded minds, rejections and a constant barrage of challenges, it’s easy to forget the power of possibility 🙂