Key Phrases:
Inner dialogue can derail leadership potential – or be its biggest advocate! Knowing when to listen intently or acknowledge and move on enhances confidence. Trust in Self allows a leader to step into possibility. Trust in Yourself enables trust from others. Gaining motivation and momentum to achieve strategy, vision, and strive for results!
Key Terms:
Trust Yourself; Imposter syndrome; Inner voice; Trust Equation; Change; Guiding Principals; Thought Spirals.
“Why should anyone listen to you?”
The story goes something like this: Charlie is a technical expert – one of a kind in their field. Because they are so good, they have been promoted every 12-18 months.
Woohoo!
Easy and accomplished. That’s what they are! They’ve learnt new tools, new models, new processes, procedures, yada yada yada, and succeeded.
Now they’ve been tapped to be a senior leader. Exciting!
Until they realise….. Leadership is HARD. The politics, the presentations, the meetings, the people… oh the PEOPLE! Why can’t I JUST. DO. MY. JOB? Why can’t they JUST. DO. THEIR. JOB?
People. PEOPLE. Oh, they’re messy; And as much as we like to believe everyone thinks or acts just like we do – we’re not the same. In many ways, we are very similar. But we all live in our own distorted view of reality. HOW FUN!
Sound familiar?
Think about when you first stepped into the leadership space. If you’re like many of our clients, the biggest surprise is how many hours are spent on people – supporting, encouraging, telling, listening, redirecting… the list goes on! Oftentimes, it is in this moment that leaders realise a large proportion of the role is about people. You’re a guide, a cheerleader, a facilitator of other’s accomplishments, and organiser of their accomplishments together.
And in these moments, a voice persists. It’s the inner voice throwing doubt into your decisions and your expertise.
“But why should anyone listen to me??” “I was great at my job, but this is different. Maybe I’m not a leader. Maybe I should just go back to doing the work.”
That voice. It doesn’t quit. It doesn’t know when to take a break!
We all have this – the inner dialogue that tells us we’re not good/ smart/ fast enough. But this voice doesn’t know the you that exists today… and definitely doesn’t know the you in the future.
YOUR INNER VOICE LIVES IN THE PAST. It reflects where you were… the previous you.
Leadership is a minefield – the external spanners (or wrenches) that get thrown in our way; then the inner voice that could turn into a negative thought spiral. It’s important to put it down for a NAP Notice, Accept, and Pivot – developing techniques to manage it.
How do you Trust Yourself when your inner voice, varying external opinions, incomplete data, and alternative facts persist?
Whether it’s people, planning, or a strategic scenario, the answer is somewhere within yourself or the people depending on your leadership.
What do we need help with? Confidence. How do we do it? Know Yourself. Trust Yourself. Be Yourself. (Imagine Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri cheering you on)
When you enter – or continue – your leadership journey, a wall will likely confront you in the shape of, “I’m not sure I’m making the right decision.”
This is where many leaders get stuck. Instead find out how to Trust Yourself, step into your confidence and lead on.
One of the most valuable leadership traits is confidently dealing with VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, change, and ambiguity). You know yourself – now learn to trust yourself.
Through our work with thousands of leaders around the world – from banking to insurance, construction to mining, professional sports to management consulting – combined with global research, we strongly believe that trusting oneself is a key to unlocking your full potential.
Here are some steps you can take to build the practice of trusting yourself.
- Ask others when they’ve seen you at your best , using 360 feedback tools.
- Experience our Online Learning – Confident Leadership: https://tallpoppies.us/leaders/guided-learning-module/
- Seek a learning partner and bring them along your journey
The great thing is that it’s never too late to change. Step in and Trust yourself. You will feel better, more comfortable, more confident. And the best part – everyone around you will see it as well. Imagine the greatness you’ll feel!