We often hear the advice to “dream big” or “play to your strengths,” but what if unseen fears and barriers are holding you back from stepping into your Zone of Genius?
Gay Hendricks’ The Big Leap outlines four invisible barriers that could be stopping you from reaching your full potential. Let’s explore how these barriers show up – and how to break through them.
Barrier 1: Fear of abandonment or disloyalty
A client experiencing rapid business growth set an ambitious goal: a 150% increase on her $2.8M revenue. Yet, her success carried a hidden weight: the fear of neglecting those around her.
This fear drove her to give excessively – huge bonuses, paying off family debts, and even overpaying for a business acquisition to avoid disappointing others. Ultimately, this pattern of self-sacrificing delayed her own retirement plans and meant others became financially dependent on her.
Her assumption? “If I prioritise my goals, I’ll let others down.”
The shift: She embraced authentic connections – having transparent conversations with family, setting boundaries, and exploring ways to support others without sacrificing her goals.
Reflection: What relationships or loyalties might you be prioritising at the expense of your own success?
Barrier 2: The belief that more success brings a bigger burden
Another business owner built an incredible $500,000 business solo. However, he resisted hiring support to scale his business. Why?
- Fear of the responsibility of managing a team.
- Belief that self-promotion (developing a social media presence) would attract envy and scrutiny.
This left him trapped in daily operations, working unsustainable hours and neglecting his health.
The assumption? “More success will lead to more stress, criticism, and loss of control”.
The shift: He tested his assumptions in small steps to see whether success could bring more ease and joy. First, by posting something online which, to his surprise, got a positive response (and some friendly banter). Then, he outsourced a small, non-critical task he didn’t enjoy, and was able to appreciate the opportunity to earn and deliver more, with less stress.
Reflection: How might you be missing opportunities to lighten the load – or underestimating others’ ability to help?
Barrier 3: Believing you’re fundamentally flawed
A newly promoted leader doubted their worthiness and avoided speaking up, convinced they’d be exposed as an imposter.
Their assumption? “I don’t deserve to be here because I’m not as capable as everyone else.”
The shift: We identified specific moments when their experience and expertise had positively impacted others, and what strengths got them to the position they are today. By collecting evidence of their competence and contributions, and practicing self-compassion, they began to rewrite the limiting belief that they were “not enough”.
Reflection: How might your own self-concept be holding you back from success?
Barrier 4: Fear of outshining others
A talented L&D manager held back her idea of developing a capability framework to embed across recruitment, performance and learning, worried she’d step on the toes of her Head of P&C manager. This stifled her growth and limited the value she could bring to the team.
Her assumption? “If I achieve too much, I’ll harm relationships”.
The shift: She gave herself permission to be brilliant, recognising her success can inspire and elevate others. This allowed her to engage in open dialogue with their manager, exploring how they could work together to lift the business as a whole.
Reflection: What opportunities are you missing because you’re afraid to stand out?
Practical tips to take The Big Leap:
- Recognise the barrier: Identify which fear resonates with you the most. Awareness is the first step to change.
- Breathe into fear: As Fitz Pearl says “fear is excitement without the breath”. When fear arises, take slow, deep breaths to ground yourself and transform fear into curiosity and presence.
- Shift the narrative: Challenge the belief keeping you stuck. Ask yourself: What’s another way to look at this? or What if the opposite were true?
- Take small leaps: Focus on micro-actions that feel doable. Test new behaviors in low-stakes situations to build confidence. This is about incremental growth, not perfection.
- Step into your Zone of Genius: With each small leap, commit to bringing your full self to the table. Align your thoughts, emotions, and actions with what brings you joy, flow and fulfillment.
Your Turn:
- Which of these barriers feels most familiar?
- What’s one small step you can take today to move into your Zone of Genius?
