Patrick Industries

Erik L. Doyle, MBA, CCP, is Director of Organizational and Talent Development at Patrick Industries, LLC. He secured his SPHR certification in 2015. He has led pharmaceutical, steel-making, transportation and materials manufacturing operations teams for over twenty years. His successful application of psychological science and behavioral economics to leadership enablement has earned him invitations across the country to engineer rapid plant and team turnarounds, emphasizing leadership coaching and team alignment and employee engagement. He is the author of Patrick Industries’ current leadership development curriculum, TACTical Leadership Training, which has been well-received by over 4,500 business leaders at more than 130 companies. He is best known for achieving rapid business results by motivating employees to take ownership and create extraordinary new realities for themselves and their companies.

Professional Hypnotist Anthony Galie often captures the imagination of his audiences by hypnotizing volunteers and telling them they are “stuck like glue to the chair.” He then brings the volunteers back to consciousness and asks them to get out of the chair, which they find impossible. He teases them and even offers them large sums of money if they just get out of the chair, but they remain incapable of separating themselves from their seats.

Anthony and many other psychotherapists explain that the picture placed in the person’s subconscious is more potent than their will to achieve on a conscious level. Simply put, they want to get out of the chair consciously, but the subconscious picture in their mind will not let them.

This exercise is amusing to many audiences, but begs the question: What pictures do we hold in our subconscious that is holding us back from achievement? Researchers have determined that the average person is in a highly suggestible state (semi-hypnotic) around 70 times daily. If you doubt this, here’s a question: How many red cars did you pass on your drive to work today? Do you even remember the trip, or do you just remember getting into the parking place at the end? You were likely multitasking on the drive, thinking about problems that needed to be solved, emails that required a response and projects to be managed. We enter this phase throughout our days and scientists advise us that a lot can slip into our subconscious during this vulnerable time.

 Anthony and many other psychotherapists explain that the picture placed in the person’s subconscious is more powerful than their will to achieve on a conscious level 

We are not always aware of the ideas and thoughts exerting more power over our performance than our conscious mind can overcome. In these cases, we may be “stuck to the chair like glue” and missing opportunities to gain rich experiences for ourselves and others. What kind of subconscious thoughts can achieve this? Here are a few:

• It’s a Monday and Mondays are always bad

• This project is doomed because of…

• Being with these people is going to be a downer because…

• I’m going to hate being at this event because….

• Going to work is always so miserable….

Chances are lingering thoughts like these may inhibit your performance and experience. When these thoughts are embraced, they can keep you “stuck to the chair like glue,” and all the conscious effort in the world will not be able to overcome them. If this is the case, it might be time to do some “thought pattern inventory” and clean out these devastating influences. Replace them with:

• It’s a new day and anything is possible

• We may have overlooked an angle that could bring new life to this project

• I’m giving people around me another chance because I have been gifted with second chances

• I’ll find a way to make this a positive experience for someone else and in doing so, will have a positive experience of my own

• (Hint: taking on a servant-leader mindset determined to make life better for those around you is an excellent way to overcome negative internal thought patterns!).

Ultimately, the most significant limitations we face are often the ones we've unknowingly placed on ourselves. Like the hypnotized volunteer, we may be mentally anchored by thoughts we never consciously chose, yet they dictate our attitudes, behaviors and outcomes. The encouraging truth is that we can also reprogram those thoughts. By becoming more aware of our internal dialogue and intentionally replacing defeatist scripts with empowering narratives, we can free ourselves from our metaphorical chairs and move forward with renewed purpose. So ask yourself: What thoughts have you allowed to take root in your subconscious—and are they keeping you stuck, or setting you free?