You Have Permission to Change the Rules

The four-minute mile was considered an unbreakable barrier. Experts claimed the human body simply wasn't capable of running any faster than that. Then, in 1954, a medical student named Roger Bannister did the unthinkable. He ran a mile in 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds, redefining what was possible. And here's the part that fascinates me: once Bannister proved it could be done, runners all over the world started breaking the four-minute mile. It was as if he'd unlocked something in the collective human consciousness.

This phenomenon is called the Bannister Effect. A testament to the fact that our limits are often self-imposed. That we're capable of far more than we realize.

And that brings me to you and your organization. You’re sitting on a goldmine of intellectual, creative, and pragmatic power. You and your colleagues have the potential to revolutionize your industry or to make a genuine difference in the world. But here's the thing: you're probably not tapping into even a fraction of that potential.

Why? Because we've been conditioned to wait for permission. To wait for someone to tell us it's okay to be brilliant, to take risks, to disrupt the status quo. But there is no one to give you permission. And there's no magic moment when the stars align and the universe says, "Go ahead, change the rules." The time is now. The opportunity is always there.

This isn't about adding more to your to-do list. It's about shifting your mindset. It's about recognizing that you already have everything you need to make a splash.

A few years ago, I decided to improve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. No one asked me to. No one even knew who I was. But I saw a need, and I filled it. If I'd waited for the UN to give me the green light, I'd probably still be navigating a bureaucratic maze, lost in a sea of red tape.

The point is, you don't need a formal invitation to make a difference. You don't need to wait for someone to validate your ideas. In fact, the people who could give you that validation are often the ones who benefit most from things staying exactly the same. They don't want you rocking the boat, challenging their authority, or making them look bad.

So, what's holding you back? Two things, usually. One, we don't think we're authorized. We assume someone else knows better, that there's some secret reason why things are the way they are. And two, we get caught up in the "industry standard," the "accepted way" of doing things. We're afraid to deviate from the norm, to risk criticism or disapproval.

But what if you did it anyway? What if you and your organization ignored the naysayers and the self-doubt? You don't need a hall pass. You don't need permission. You just need to decide.