6 Steps for Business Leaders to Break Out of Their Box

Are you a business leader who feels like they're trapped inside of a box unable to live up to their full potential?  Or, do you feel like there's a glass ceiling over your head keeping you in place?

If so, the truth is that every business leader has experienced this feeling before.  Even the most dominant CEOs like Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway and Walt Disney have felt it before.

But, the truth is that you don't have to stay inside the box forever…  That is, at least, if you choose to follow our 6-step process to break out of the box!

By following these 6 steps, you'll feel the freedom of not being constrained inside a tiny space of potential.  More than that, you'll ditch that feeling of spinning your wheels but going absolutely nowhere.

Bottom line... If you want to not only break free of the constraining box and start living up to your full potential, it starts here with you following this process!

Who Is a Good Business Leader?

Before going anywhere, consider this... Who is a good business leader?

The truth is that the best of the best business leaders do two things:

1. They do everything they possibly can to help solve a specific problem in the world
2. They use their unique set of skills and knowledge to solve the problem at hand

First off, great business leaders serve others by solving a specific problem that affects a group of people.  For them, the better they serve the people, the more effective they are as a leader.

Second and most importantly, the best business leaders use their special, unique talents to solve the problem at hand.  The truth is that we all have a unique set of abilities that literally nobody else on EARTH has.  Therefore, it's up to each of us to put those abilities to use, otherwise they'll completely go to waste and never be seen again.

Good business leaders don't just serve people, but they serve people in a way that they know nobody else can!

Great Leaders Lock Themselves Inside Boxes

The hard truth is that, whenever you find yourself inside a box, it's because you put yourself there!  And, the most likely reason you put yourself there is because fear is creeping up inside of you.

As much as you might not want to admit it, the reason you feel trapped is because you set a low standard for yourself while knowing that you have so much potential.  

When you set a low standard for yourself, you think small.  And when you think small, only small doors of opportunity can open for you.  More specifically, doors that are too small for your big ideas and potential to fit through.

Hence, why you feel like you're trapped!

Furthermore, the first real step to breaking out of your box is accepting accountability for putting yourself there in the first place.  No more blame, no more finger pointing.

However, the good news is that, the second you take accountability for your situation, you empower yourself to break out of it!  All the power is back in your hands.

6 Steps For Dynamic Business Leaders to Break Out of Their Box

If you feel like you’re stuck in a box or have a low-hanging glass ceiling over your head, then know you’re not alone!

Most CEOs experience this feeling at least one time or another during their career.

However, you can break out of the box and throw it away for good by following these 6 steps.

It doesn’t matter what you think is holding you back from breaking out, because the truth is that you’re the only force that can destroy the box for good!

It’s time to break out of the box, feel good about yourself, and take your business to the next level.

1. Make Bigger Moves to Solve Your Problems

Has anybody ever said something to you along the lines of, 'Maybe your idea isn't working because you're thinking too big' or 'Maybe you need to think smaller first'?

If so, then don't listen to them!  Because, the truth is that thinking smaller not only obviously locks you in a tight box, but also sets you up for ultimate business failure!

Why?

Think of it like this... If you have a vision for a better world and you want to bring that vision to life by starting a business, how is making small moves going to get you anywhere?  

If your vision is as grand as changing the world, then you need to think big so that you'll ultimately make big moves. 

Moreover, when you think small, you make small moves.  And, no grand vision ever came to life because someone was making small moves!

You’re Not Achieving Success Because You’re Thinking Too Small

The thoughts you think determine the emotions you feel.  The emotions you feel determine the actions you take.  The actions you take determine your outcomes.

That being said, if you think small thoughts, then you'll feel mediocre emotions, and you'll make small moves to only achieve minor outcomes.

On the other hand, if you think big thoughts, then you'll feel grand emotions, and you'll ultimately make big moves to achieve even bigger outcomes.

It goes without saying… Results start in your head.  So, if you have a vision for a revolutionized world, then you have to make big moves!  But, in order to make those big moves, you've got to think big thoughts in your head first.

For example... Elon Musk is one of the most revolutionary business leaders of our time.  Tesla Motor's vision statement is '... to create the most compelling car company of the 21st century by driving the world's transition to electric vehicles'.

Arguably, he's already achieved that, and he did it by making big moves backed up by big thoughts.

More than that, his company SpaceX's vision statement is '... to revolutionize space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets'.

So, by thinking big, Musk empowers himself to make moves as major as launching people into outer space!

Bottom line... If you have big visions, the only way you'll ever bring them to life is by making big moves.  And, in order to make big moves, you need to start by thinking big!

2. Focus On What Is Most Important For Business Success

In order to break out of the box, you must know what you need to focus on to achieve business success.

However, most business leaders' minds are scattered all over the place.  For example, they're thinking about marketing, product development, and outside investment all at once.

As a result, they take their eyes off the one thing that is most important to achieving success: Sales.

Yes, if you want to break out of your box and be the leader of a successful business, start by reorienting your focus on having a top-notch sales department.

If your sales aren’t in order don’t expect everything else to go well!

Sales Is Central to Business Success

Not convinced that sales is central to business success and breaking out of the box?

Well, think of it like this... Want to expand to new markets?  Make more sales.  Want to land your biggest and best client over?  Improve your sales strategy.  Want to increase profitability?  Make more sales and improve your strategy!

That being said, whenever we talk about breaking out of the box and taking things to the next level, the first thing about sales!  It's as simple as that.

At the same time, you need to stop thinking about all the other things pulling you in other directions.  Only until you get sales in order can you start thinking about those other things!

Everyone in the business world who has achieved major success, from Larry Page of Apple to Mary Barra of General Motors, knows that breaking out of the box depends on you focusing on sales first.

3. Get Different Perspectives From the Right People

Do you want to not just break out of the box but also scale your business to a higher level?

If so, then you can't do it alone!  You need the right team to help back you up, to bring in specialized skills and knowledge, and to help you become your best self.

However, the truth is that not every person out there is going to help you scale, because most people don't have the kind of persona that you need to ignite growth.

So, who are the right people to surround yourself with?

The truth is that the best people to surround yourself with are those who are better than you at something.  Why?  Because, when smart people surround themselves with even smarter people, they rise to the level of those smarter people.

On the other hand, if you surround yourself with people who are less motivated than you and don't have any special knowledge or skills that you don't already have, then they're only going to pull you down.

Straight-up: If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room!

Get a CEO Coach and Invest In Sales Enablement

Perhaps the absolute best person you can bring into the picture to help you rise up is a CEO Coach.

Why?

Because, CEO coaches:

1. Know how to develop and draw out your best qualities
2. Can spot cracks in your business plans
3. Have stood in your exact shoes before

First off, whether you know it or not, you have special skills and knowledge that nobody else on earth has.  A CEO Coach will help draw those skills and knowledge out of you, so that you can use them to your advantage.

Second, as an outsider to your business, CEO Coaches can help spot cracks in your business plans.  Unlike your business team members, they not only easily spot those cracks, but they're also more likely to bring in unique perspectives to fill those cracks.

Lastly, a CEO Coach can relate to you more than probably anybody else can.  Why?  Because, they have likely stood in your shoes before, therefore they know what it takes to break out of boxes more than anyone else does!

Still not convinced that CEO coaching is all that valuable?  

Well, when you consider that figures like Jeff Bezos of Amazon,Tim Cook of Apple, and Steve Jobs of Microsoft have all taken advantage of CEO coaching, it gets a little more convincing!

Additionally, because sales is central to business success, investing in a top notch, transformational sales training program is of the utmost importance.

And, we're not talking about just any old webinar training.  Rather, we're talking about a complete sales training taught by an industry insider who has achieved the heights of sales success themselves.

4. Put Yourself In Your Customer’s Shoes

Do you remember back in the early 2000s when you used to drive with your family to Blockbuster to pick out VCR tapes?  More specifically, do you remember during those times wishing you could access all of those movies from the comfort of your couch?

If you’re like most people reading this, then that time brings back many memories!

Want to know who remembers that time perhaps more than anyone (and is now a billionaire because of it)?  It's the co-founder of Netflix, Reed Hastings.

Why?

Because he put himself in people’s shoes and resultantly saw the problem they faced, he came up with a clear, no-nonsense solution to solve it.  

Furthermore, because he put himself in other people’s shoes, BlockBuster is history and people at all corners of the earth have access to Netflix and other streaming services.

That being said, you can find many answers to your business problems and thus break out of the box by stepping into your customer's shoes.  When you see life from their perspective, solutions all of a sudden become clear and obvious to you!

Bottom line... If you feel like you can't break out of the box because there's some problem preventing you from delivering the best possible solution, try stepping into your customer’s shoes to find a way to overcome it.

Go Incognito With Customers

Having the ability to put yourself in somebody else's shoes and see life from their perspective is perhaps one of the most valuable skills you can have in business and life.

That being said, your key to breaking out of the box and becoming an influential business leader is to learn how to do just that.

The more you see life from your customer's eyes, the better you understand why they are the way they are and why they do the things they do.  And when you know that, you know what it takes to best fulfill their needs.  And when you know how to fulfill their needs in the most effective way possible, your own business dilemmas begin to melt away.

To put it simply... Adopt the brain of one of your customers to break out of the constraining box.  By doing so, your potential becomes limitless.

5. Don’t Forget About What You Want

How many times has someone said something to you like, 'Business is all about pleasing the customers' or 'If you stopped thinking about yourself then maybe you'd see results'?

If so, then know that believing in those statements keeps you in the box!

Why?

Because, if all you think about is the customers and never about yourself, then you're not going to feel fulfilled.  And when you're not fulfilled, you don't have the passion necessary to break out of the constraining box.

Now... Here's the thing: You can't have a successful business unless your customers are pleased.  However, if serving people in the way that you're doing so is making you miserable, then you've got a dilemma.

For example, let's say that you're launching a startup social network to battle LinkedIn... Your first few users love it and you know you're onto something.  But at the same time, you hate running a social network.  Therefore, it’s only a matter of time before you crack.  And when you do crack, so will your customers.

Therefore, in order to break out of the box and run a successful company, every business leader needs to check that they're totally passionate about their current projects.

If You’re Not Happy, Then Can You Help Others?

Being a business owner is about serving people.  And, it takes serious passion to be a business owner.  Therefore, if you're not passionate about how you're helping others, don't expect to ever break out of the box!  

Perhaps you'll have some initial success, but overtime you'll burn out and fall through the cracks because you don't have that internal fire to keep you going.

Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg, once said, 'Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence'.

Now the question is... How do you expect to help others if you're unhappy helping them?

The answer is... You can't!

Therefore, in order to break out of your box, you need to focus on creating business solutions that you're happy creating!  Because, when you're happy creating them, you'll inevitably be a better leader and make a stronger impact.

Are you happy with what you’re doing now?

6. Help Someone Improve Their Business Leadership Skills

These days, motivation is a bit of a hot button topic.  More specifically, people now more than ever want to know what it takes to get and stay motivated.

And, being stuck in a box, you must have motivation to break out of it!

However, while many of the old-fashioned tactics like journaling and goal setting are great, they're not quite as powerful as another less-talked about motivational tactic.

What tactic are we referring to?

We're talking about mentoring someone else in business leadership.  Because, the truth is that genuinely helping someone else become a better person naturally lights a fire inside of you.

That being said, if you're a business leader, offer somebody else in your circle a hand in the form of mentorship.  Let them know that you've stood in their shoes before and want to help them become their best self!

By doing so, you'll quickly realize that helping others is the perfect motivation boost you need.

Mentoring Gives You Natural Motivation

When you genuinely help someone improve themself, it naturally motivates you to work harder and improve yourself.

Like a law of nature, giving selflessly to others comes back around to benefit YOU.

Therefore, find somebody who is in a position that you have been in before and mentor them through the process.  Maybe they're the owner of a new startup or experiencing a challenge you've gone through before.  Whatever it is, give them your support and often a listening ear.

Believe it or not, but sometimes just offering to listen silently can make all the difference in somebody's life.

If there's one thing you take away from this, we hope you remember that... If you can't help yourself, help somebody else!

Final Thoughts On Breaking Out of the Box as a Successful Business Leader

Breaking out of the box is a choice.  Therefore, staying inside of the box is also a choice.

If you're saying to yourself that breaking out of the box is hard though, just remember that staying in the box is also hard.  That being said, you need to pick your 'hard' in life!

The world needs more solid business leaders now than ever before.  Will you break out of the tight box and become a part of the solution?