Is ‘Impossible’ a Fact or an Opinion?

How can you build a team in which the word impossible serves as motivation for innovation and out-side-the-box thinking? How can we coach our people (employees, peers and even superiors) to begin with “WIN” or “can-do” mindset? How can we coach our people to build an organization where “impossible” is nothing but a source for of inspiration and motivation to find solutions that will place its organization ahead of competition? What is the leadership style you can apply to prevent your organization from missing good opportunities?



Whether it has been in big or small situations, I believe everyone throughout life has witnessed situations where the word ‘impossible’ has related to a specific action or idea but sooner or later it has been proved wrong.

In the history, there are evidences that impossible is more an opinion than a fact and for the sake of this article, there are two great examples related to transport which are simply undebatable.

The airplane. A number of scientists and engineers confidently stated that heavier-than-air flight was impossible – the most famous statement came in 1895 from Lord Kelvin, the Irish mathematician, “heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible”, only to be proved definitively wrong just eight years later. This one doesn’t need to elaborate further.

The Panama Canal. In 1534, Charles V, the Holy Roman emperor, ordered a survey to determine if the two oceans, Atlantic and Pacific, could be connected and a canal built for ships to cross. The surveyors eventually decided that construction of a ship canal was impossible. A theory that was also disproved. In January 7, 1914 the ship Alexandre La Valley completed it’s maiden voyage going through Panama Canal. Today 13,000-14,000 vessels pass through the Panama Canal each year, at a rate of about 35-40 per day and ships up to 1,050 ft (320.04 m) in length, 110 ft (33.53 m) in width can cross. It is an engineering masterpiece.

How many times have you experienced situations where your projects or ideas have been judged as “impossible to be accomplished”? How often have you witnessed circumstances originally seen as impossible but soon later a solution to surmount every single obstacle has been found.

Continue reading “Is ‘Impossible’ a Fact or an Opinion?”

Hello and Welcome

Welcome to The Leadership Coach Blog. This is where we meet to exchange ideas on what makes leadership at all levels in an organisation really work. Subscribe for free.

Welcome to The Leadership Coach 2024. Eight years of Blogging: 2016 – 2024. This is where we continue to meet to exchange ideas on what makes leadership at all levels in an organisation really work.

Since this is a BLOG, my Guest Authors and I post articles and you comment or ask questions. That way we all learn something and make a daily progress on that big leadership transition journey. I started the Blog in 2016 and there are now over 270 articles for you to browse and enjoy.

Does that sound worthwhile? Does it seem like something you would like to be part of? Good news. To get behind this home page and to really get involved just sign up today. It’s FREE to subscribe. There’s lots going on inside, including the Coaches Toolkit which contains over 40 valuable Techniques, Templates, Tips & Tools.  See you soon.

Thanks for visiting today.

Trevor Sherman

The Leadership Coach

LinkedIn Profile

SUBSCRIBE OR LOG IN

  • If you are new to the site, then welcome! Please subscribe for free.
  • If you have already subscribed, thank you for returning. Please log in securely to access all of your benefits.
  • Please Note: We use a powerful CAPTCHA tool to stop Robots accessing this site. If you have any difficulty registering or logging in please email me HERE.