1159 – The Natural Process of Decision Making with Certain Change’s Stephen Bates

Apr 9, 2022

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In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge talks with the founder of Certain Change, Stephen Bates.

Stephen is in the business of getting the best out of people, he shares. He believes that a business leader can make or break the execution of their amazing idea based on how they live up to their own potential. Certain Change helps entrepreneurs use their skills and time to the best of their ability – and then help them get the best out of their teams, too.

Stephen shares that he got his start in the physical therapy industry. He shares that people would come into his office in real physical pain and he’d spend time to coach them on how to change their lifestyle and heal their pain faster. What he noticed was that many of the patients he coached, about 40% in his experience, didn’t do what would help them at home. He realized that if people could endure acute chronic pain and knowingly not help themselves, then everything else in our lives, careers, and relationships can be treated the same way with ease.

Josh and Stephen explore the pain points his clients tend to experience. The first major challenge is for the business owner to overcome their own frustration. The reality, Stephen explains, is that many of these business owners know they’re capable of doing more but don’t let themselves. A lot of this is labeled and chalked up to imposter syndrome or anxiety, but in any case, there’s an evident gap between what these entrepreneurs know they can achieve and what they actually allow themselves to achieve. For a business owner, this can manifest as underpriced services and products, under promoted services or offerings, and lower-than-they-should-be prospecting goals. The underlying issue is this gap and the frustration that comes with this cycle of self-limiting behavior.

Imposter syndrome is as pervasive as ever. Josh and Stephen discuss how to address it. First of all, see it for what it is – ‘imposter syndrome’ is an exaggeration of doubt. Stephen explains that every worthwhile good decision is going to come with doubt and a loss of confidence with uncertainty. This is the natural process of making a good, important decision. You’re meant to let go of the emotion to make a logical, clear decision. Don’t let a natural part of the process become exaggerated into imposter syndrome. This is simply the fear of the consequences of your decision. Stay out of the self-sabotage loop and let go of your fear. Let your authority, knowledge, and skills guide you.

Want to learn more? Check out Certain Change’s website at https://www.certainchange.co.uk/.

Check out Certain Change on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/certain-change-ltd/.

Check out Stephen Bates on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenbatesuk/.

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