Is your Script calling the shots?

Is your Script calling the shots?

How often do you go through life thinking that everything is mapped out for you? When something happens out of the blue, do you just sit there and think “Oh my, not that again. Why does this keep happening to me?”

Well whilst you sit there having your déjà vu moment, believing fate has once again grasped you in its hands and planned this whole damn thing for you, I’d like you to think again.

You might be surprised to know how the development of events outside your control ARE predetermined but ARE NOT some sort of supernatural power at play.

What is Script?

Script is a term used in psychology to define unconscious patterns based on decisions you made early in life. The theory suggests that these childhood experiences "write" the script of your life and that you then spend the rest of your years seeking out opportunities to fulfil that script. Fulfilment of the script is known as the payoff (there may be more than one) which in early writing was always considered to be negative; contemporary theorists, however, hypothesise that the payoff may indeed be positive (depending on your interpretation of the word).

Whilst early psychology focussed on the script of individuals, much has been written about organisational script and to what degree the founders experiences are continually played out tens of years later. Many companies talk about their heritage, the source of their product or service, the ethos by which they still thrive. What, however, might this be limiting? How do we know the vision of the founders is still relevant? What has happened to the market in the meantime? Who now leads your business and how does their script support or clash with that of the company’s origin? What is the script of your shareholders, buyers and employees?

Why is knowing your script important?

What can be drawn from the theory is that script starts with a discount - that is a thought, feeling or belief that minimises your potential. The discount may be yours or may have come from someone or something else. But without exception, given the discounting stimulus, we can conclude that your script might not be serving you as well as you’d imagine - unless of course you don’t want to succeed?

What can you do?

When you look at your business, team or in fact yourself, ask (and honestly answer) these questions:

What do you notice is holding you back? Is it shifting expectations? Is it the availability of resources? Is it your talent and desire to succeed?

Whatever it is, I’m pretty sure it’s not what you think!

How can I help?

I’ve helped many individuals and businesses identify facets of their script and how they are calling the shots. If you are unsure how your script might be calling the shots for you, give me a shout at The Leader Ship GB and we can start to look for a cure. 

Thanks very much for reading and I look forward to hearing from you. If you have any thoughts, please feel free to post them below too.


It’s surprising how quickly people allow themselves to go in a more productive direction once they’ve come aboard.

The Magic Is Pinning Down The One Thing That’s Getting In The Way.

Contact me at [email protected] to discover how we can find out what’s holding you back.

Nigel Wilton

IT Manager at Fittleworth Medical Ltd

6 年

Wow! Another very thought provoking piece, thanks for sharing. I’d love to find out what scripts are holding me back !?

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Nims Dhawan

Co-creative Org Design & Development | Supervision| Facilitator| Certified Transactional Analyst | Consulting | Organisational Psychology

6 年

Great article Barry, something I am exploring is how much of our past or previous experiences dictates our future (playing our script out).? How can we design a new narrative or path which is not typical for us and one that we consciously choose?

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