We Are Not Broken
Bottom Line Up Front: The "broken" mindset isn't just personal limitation—it's a strategic killer that creates defensive leaders, reactive decision-making, and organizations that operate from scarcity rather than abundance. Leaders who reject "broken" programming and embrace their unstoppable nature create breakthrough results, innovative solutions, and competitive advantages while their "broken" competitors remain trapped in limitation-based thinking.
For most of my life, I believed I was broken.
As a child I was a smart kid in a very small town, which made me different. That translated to me being broken. During my life the traumas have been sometimes harsh, from being abandoned by my fiancé to violent physical attacks to embezzlement and betrayal by more men that I loved. I assumed those experiences broke me even more.
When I recovered my stunning childhood memories, I knew I was broken forever.
Business Reality: This "broken" programming nearly destroyed my strategic consulting career before it fully began. I approached every business challenge believing I was fundamentally flawed, that my ideas weren't quite right, that I needed to prove my worth rather than confidently deliver breakthrough solutions. This programming created defensive leadership patterns that limited both my potential and my clients' results.
Guess what? I was wrong.
Programmed to Be Broken
We must be broken by life's traumas. That's what society teaches us. We're taught that once we've had bad experiences, those experiences change us forever. We hear about struggling to move beyond that experience, we're told it will be hard, tough, take everything we have to recover. We're taught to expect that the best we can do is to survive, not thrive, on the other side.
Business Programming: The corporate world reinforces similar "broken" programming: "failure damages your career," "mistakes define your capabilities," "setbacks prove you're not leadership material." We're taught that market failures, competitive losses, or strategic mistakes "break" our business credibility and limit future possibilities.
We end up seeing ourselves as a patchwork quilt; some patches are beautiful and untarnished, some a bit dull and some are just plain tatters. We learn to "live with it." That's the best we can hope for given the power of whatever negative experience we're surviving. At least that's what we are taught to believe in…our powerless selves.
Executive Self-Limitation: I've watched brilliant executives see themselves as "damaged goods" after business setbacks—limiting their strategic ambitions, playing it safe, and settling for incremental improvements instead of breakthrough innovation. They operate from a "broken" identity that creates exactly the limited results they fear.
Traditional therapies further imprint our broken beliefs. We relive and deeply explore those traumatic experiences, negative beliefs or scary voices that supposedly caused our broken state. The thing is - the more we relive and explore those experiences, the more powerful we make the programming that we are broken.
Business Analysis Trap: Similarly, endless post-mortems on business failures, obsessive competitive analysis of what went wrong, and constant focus on market limitations strengthen "broken" programming. The more executives analyze their strategic failures, the more they reinforce identity as limited leaders rather than unstoppable innovators.
Our perceived brokenness gains more and more traction.
You Are Not Broken
After years of exploring ways to heal my PTSD, I no longer believe we are broken.
I believe that we are all born to be Unstoppable.
Strategic Truth: After 30+ years of launching 300+ companies and working with thousands of executives, I now understand that leaders are born to create extraordinary results. Market setbacks, competitive losses, and strategic mistakes don't break us—they're just information that redirects our unstoppable nature toward better solutions.
Society and our experiential programming get in the way, teaching us to be fearful, limited beings.
Society teaches us to be broken.
Business Culture Conditioning: Corporate cultures often reinforce "broken" programming through risk-averse policies, punishment for failure, and systems that reward incremental thinking over breakthrough innovation. These environments teach executives to be limited, defensive beings rather than unstoppable creators of market value.
When we say we're broken, even with the intention of moving toward being fixed, we limit ourselves. We imprint a negative belief, a belief that implies little hope of healing. Some of us use that broken state as an explanation or crutch. Some use it for sympathy while others bear it as a cross.
Strategic Self-Sabotage: When executives believe they're "broken" by past business failures, they create self-fulfilling prophecies of limitation. They approach strategic opportunities defensively, make conservative decisions that limit growth, and unconsciously sabotage breakthrough possibilities to confirm their "broken" identity.
The good news is that we can break down the barriers created by our scary voices that proclaim our broken selves.
I'm living proof that we can do that. Years ago I was on my knees, praying to die. I couldn't get out of bed for almost two years. I was so "broken".
Professional Transformation: During my darkest period, I was convinced my strategic consulting career was over. I believed my personal trauma had broken my ability to think clearly, serve clients effectively, or create business value. I operated from this "broken" identity for years, accepting limited opportunities and delivering constrained results.
I found the truth. I am not broken, none of us are. We simply forgot our truth.
Business Breakthrough: The moment I rejected "broken" programming and embraced my unstoppable nature, my business results transformed dramatically. I began approaching strategic challenges with confidence rather than defensiveness, creating innovative solutions instead of safe incrementalism, and building breakthrough value rather than just surviving market conditions.
Business Impact: From Broken to Unstoppable
Throughout my consulting career, I've witnessed extraordinary transformations when leaders reject "broken" programming:
The "Damaged" CEO Resurrection: A technology CEO believed a previous startup failure had "broken" his credibility as a leader. He approached every strategic decision defensively, second-guessing innovative ideas and settling for safe, incremental growth. After helping him shift from "broken by failure" to "informed by experience," he led his current company to a $2B acquisition—using lessons from his previous "failure" as competitive advantages.
The "Scarred" Executive Breakthrough: A marketing executive believed toxic early career experiences had "broken" her leadership capabilities. She avoided high-visibility projects, deferred to less qualified colleagues, and limited her strategic ambitions. When she shifted from "broken by trauma" to "strengthened by experience," she became CMO within 18 months and led the company's most successful product launch in a decade.
The "Failed" Entrepreneur Renaissance: A serial entrepreneur believed multiple business failures had "broken" his ability to build successful companies. He approached new ventures with scarcity thinking, conservative strategies, and defensive positioning. After rejecting "broken" identity and embracing "unstoppable learner," he built three consecutive successful exits—applying wisdom gained from every previous "failure."
The "Wounded" Partnership Recovery: A business development leader believed betrayal by previous partners had "broken" her ability to build strategic relationships. She approached partnerships defensively, over-structured agreements to prevent betrayal, and missed collaborative opportunities. When she shifted to "experienced and discerning" rather than "broken and fearful," she created the industry's most successful partnership program.
The "Shattered" Innovation Revival: A product development team believed market rejection of their flagship product had "broken" their innovation capabilities. They began pursuing safe, incremental improvements rather than breakthrough solutions. After rejecting "broken by failure" programming and embracing "redirected toward better solutions," they developed technology that revolutionized their entire industry.
The pattern is clear: leaders who reject "broken" programming and operate from their unstoppable nature create extraordinary business results, while those trapped in limitation-based identity deliver constrained outcomes.
The great news is that with the right mind methods, we can shift our perspectives and programs. We can shift out of the brokenness.
Strategic Application: The same mind methods that healed my personal trauma transformed my business capabilities. Executives can use these approaches to shift from defensive, limitation-based leadership to confident, breakthrough-oriented strategic thinking.
We can reclaim and thrive in our truth.
We are all born to be Unstoppable.
Your Strategic Choice: Will you continue operating from "broken" programming that limits your leadership potential, or will you embrace the unstoppable nature that creates extraordinary business results?
The market doesn't need more "broken" leaders making defensive decisions. It needs unstoppable executives who create breakthrough value, innovative solutions, and competitive advantages that transform industries.
Ready to reject "broken" programming and operate from your unstoppable nature? Your greatest business failures may actually be your most valuable competitive advantages—when viewed through the lens of unstoppable growth rather than broken limitation.
Image courtesy of nagini14
