Can't Never Could Do Nothing, No How

Can't never could do nothing, no how!

The grammar may be lacking, but the message speaks loud and clear.

Henry Ford famously quipped, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, your right." There's a LOT of Truth in that statement.

I was meeting with a local business owner this past week for lunch, who was complaining his staff can't seem to independently do what he's tasked them to do. Unless he's looming like a vulture over them, micromanaging everything they are supposed to be doing, nothing gets done. He's frustrated, losing money, and unsure of his future.

When I asked him if his staff was physically or mentally challenged, he said NO. When I asked if they were having difficulty learning the duties they were expected to perform, again he said NO. When I asked him if there was anything that prohibited his staff from taking independent action on their own, to do what they've been tasked to to, he said NO.

So, I looked this business owner in the eye and shared an obvious truth. "It's not that your employees CAN'T do the job you hired them to do, it's that they WON'T."

It was both an "A-ha" and an "Oh-no" moment for this business owner, realizing he had hired staff members who simply wanted to collect a check, but didn't want to do any work to earn it, unless they were forced to do so. There weren't even interested in doing the bare minimum unless someone hovered over them and made them.

And when they did do work, it was mediocre, lackluster, and half-done at best.

Can't never could do nothing no how!

This is not only harming his bottom line in the short term, but it is also damaging his brand in the long term. His business relies on repeat customers, and when they are receiving mediocre, lackluster, half-done service, do you think they're going to come back and subject themselves to this again?

As he's permitted this behavior to continue in his business, with no repercussions, he's essentially given his staff a license to underperform. As there are no consequences to poor performance, his staff has learned they don't have to fear losing their job even if they do the bare minimum, and only when forced to do so.

What gets rewarded gets repeated. When you are OK with people telling you they WON'T disguising it as a CAN'T, you're rewarding bad behavior.

Now, let's make this conversation personal.

How often have YOU used the excuse, "I can't" to avoid doing something you didn't want to do? Rather than having to learn something new, stretch yourself, get outside your comfort zone, and try something new for the very first time, it's easier to simply say, "I can't" when what you're really saying is, "I'm UNWILLING, and I'm NOT going to do that."

Can't never could do nothing, no how!

Interestingly enough, if we tell ourselves "I can't" enough times, our mind embraces this as Truth, and "I can't" becomes a part of our belief system. Once that happens, the brain rejects any information to the contrary. Even though we are quite capable, we LIMIT ourselves by two simple words, "I can't."

Can't never could do nothing, no how!

What you're essentially saying is "I can't; therefore, I won't, and that's that."

Henry Ford had it right, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, your right." The "I can't" decisions in our life limit our potential, placing a lid on how far we can go. Why? Because "I can't" limits how much we can grow.

So, what's the solution?

Stop saying "I won't." disguised as "I can't."

Black Belt Leaders go first. They venture into uncharted waters, and unexplored jungles, and are the first to climb the next mountain. They live their lives believing they CAN and they WILL, even when it's hard. They daily invest in learning, growing, and becoming a better version of themselves, as they know to be an effective leader of themselves and others, they have to keep getting better at who they are and what they do.

In my book, Black Belt Leadership 101, two essential qualities Black Belt Leaders continually cultivate in their lives are BELIEF and BOLDNESS. They are also KINETIC, action-focused individuals who are committed to a lifetime of LEARNING.

They live their lives by the belief, "I can; therefore, I will, and that's that." This opens their eyes, and their thinking, to see and seize the endless opportunities that are ever before us. They believe that anything and everything is possible, as they live in a mindset of endless abundance and limitless opportunity.

Henry Ford had it right, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, your right." The "I can" decisions in our life reveal limitless potential, removing the lid that limits how far we can go.

Why?

Because "I can" leads to "I will" and that's how we do and become more.

I leave you with a quote from one of my friends and personal mentors, success and entrepreneur coach, Chris Robinson:

"It's not that you can't, it's that you won't. And that choice is yours."

Remember, can't never could do nothing, no how.

Don't let that person be you.