Meeting Topic
The Space Between Us and Our Potential – Josette Owen
Did you know the leaders who perform best aren’t always the most talented?
They’re the ones who reduce the noise…
Running a business—is both exhilarating and exhausting. We feel the amazing freedom of shaping our own path, and we also feel how daunting it is to carry so much responsibility alone.
When I launched Elevate Leadership nearly two years ago, it was a long-held dream finally realised. But it took a tough moment—my corporate role being disestablished—to give me the push I needed. If I had to sum up that first year: wild, scary, and exhilarating.
That mix of emotions is familiar to many of the executives I coach. We have so much potential, yet often feel weighed down by self-doubt, comparison, or unhelpful habits. I’ve been there too.
That’s why I return often to a simple formula:
Performance = Potential – Interference
(Timothy Gallwey, The Inner Game of Tennis, 1974)
If we want to increase performance, we have two levers:
- Unlock more of our potential.
- Reduce interference.
The most common interference? Ourselves. That inner critic. The endless noise in our heads:
- “Am I really ready for this?” (self-doubt)
- “I’ll just tweak it once more.” (perfectionism)
- “Everyone else is ahead of me.” (comparison)
For me, it’s overthinking. The form differs, but the impact is the same: our energy is drained, our potential muffled.
Clearing the Noise
The good news. Reducing interference isn’t about doing more. It’s about gently removing what’s in the way so our potential can breathe.
Some practices I use myself and with leaders I coach:
- Name it to tame it
When a thought pops up, ask: “Is this a fact or a feeling?” Naming it—creates space to respond differently. - Simplify focus
What is the 1 thing that truly matters today? Choosing 1 meaningful action cuts through noise – Momentum builds motivation. - Reset rituals
Journaling has been a lifeline for me. Looking back on entries shows growth I couldn’t see in the moment. Small resets—like walking or box breathing—also clear clutter. - Play to our strengths
Gallup research shows people who use their strengths daily are 6x more engaged and 3x more likely to report a better quality of life. Leaning into what we naturally do best helps quiet the noise and focus on impact.
Questions to Ask Ourselves
- What’s getting in the way of me showing up at my best right now?
- If I trusted my capability fully, what would I do differently?
- How would I act if I already believed this would succeed?
Final Thought
We already carry the potential. Performance rises when interference falls.
My first year in business reinforced this truth: courage creates confidence.
Each time I cleared the noise and backed myself, clarity and momentum followed.
I’m an Executive Coach, working with leaders to identify strengths, unlock potential, and help them deliver better results. If you’d like to explore your strengths, I’d love to chat: josette@elevateleadership.co.nz
Josette Owen – CEO & Founder – Executive & Organisational Coach – Elevate Leadership
Next Meeting Topic
Being Remarkable – Carolyn Banks
What makes you remarkable?
Lets finish the year by reminding each other how remarkable you and your business are!
It’s essential to stand out in the crowd. Remarkable means worth making a remark about, and in business it’s about being unique, different.
It’s a talking point – to be remarkable, you need to be remarked on. It’s about thinking how you’ll do this. It’s about knowing what makes you unique, deciding to go above and beyond the normal.
If you are not sure what your Unique Selling Proposition is (USP), it’s time to be creative and come up with ways you can be different. You probably have many competitors in your market. Competition is actually a good thing…it means that there is demand for what you offer.
Now it’s about telling your ideal customer, and your group members why your clients should do business with you instead of someone else. How many of you know about the Law of Uniqueness?
To be successful in business it’s critical to differentiate yourself.
A USP is what sets you apart from everyone else in your market it’s what makes you different than everyone else in your industry that is selling a similar service or product. Theodore Levitt, a professor at Harvard Business School, suggested that, “Differentiation is one of the most important strategic and tactical activities in which companies must constantly engage.” And yet few do.
Your USP needs to be unique to you. Something only you can offer.
Look at the problems your customers are experiencing when dealing with your profession in general, and do something no one else is doing. Shake it up!
Your USP should address ways that your business will deliver on these and other common complaints, and then deliver!
Being brilliant isn’t something that people are born doing. It takes guts to be remarkable, because being remarkable means you’re different – and for a lot of people, that’s a pretty scary option. To think about how your business could be more remarkable – how could you
- Go the extra mile?
- Start saying no to things?
- Start people sharing positive stories about you?
- Be more honest and simple?
- Be different?
How about we change our focus in marketing from one of trying to chase new clients or referrals to one of attracting great clients and quality referrals by being remarkable.
