The subtle art of trusting yourself to stay in control and to not lose it under pressure

When you look at some leaders, you can tell that they don’t have self-control and they're not credible. Their catch line is to ‘do as I say, not as I do’... leaving you never quite sure if they are going to do what they said they will.?

Don’t be one of those leaders!

Why? Because those leaders can’t be trusted, to follow through, to follow processes, or to follow their own mandate of putting people first. And not only can’t we trust them. They can’t trust themselves. But what does it mean to have self-trust??

No discussion on trust will be complete without a reference to Stephen M. R. Covey, who authored the book, ‘The Speed of Trust’. In that book, the first and critical element of trust is self-trust. Following through on the commitments you make, firstly to yourself, and then to your team. Let me explain...

Self-trust is about commitment?

To be the leader that you know you can be, is about making personal and life commitments, and sticking to those commitments. For example, get the simple things sorted. Get up with the alarm, or before it, not snooze it 5 times. Go to the gym on the days you say you will. Set goals, and work towards them. Read the book that you committed to reading.??

Some of these might feel or seem like simple things, but they are not. They are confidence builders. If you increase your self-confidence, you will make better decisions. You will feel better about yourself, and your ability to follow through outside of work. Keeping your commitments to yourself is a big deal.??

Self-trust is about credibility?

To be a leader that people want to follow, you need to be credible. Aka, able to be believable. Convincing. Persuasive. To be credible, leaders need to have two core attributes - competence and character. Competence to know what is happening in their team, and why. Character, to have the courage to make the calls that need to be made, with integrity. And with the right intent.??

Sometimes the right decisions are not the easiest or the most straightforward. But they are the decisions that are the most moral, ethical, and usually legal. When you are operating in the legal, moral, and ethical space, your team will see how you demonstrate character (and courage). And you will trust yourself to do what is right. Not what is easy.?

Self-trust is about consistency?

Consistency of emotional state, consistency of response (not reaction), and consistency of behaviour. This is about self-awareness as much as self-trust. Knowing how your physical and emotional state changes under pressure and being prepared to advance through adversity when the challenges or the pressure arrives, is about being self-aware and consistent.?

And of course, there is no time when self-trust is more important than when you are under stress or pressure. Leadership under pressure requires trusting yourself to be in conscious control, with care factor, to make the tough decisions.?

Coming up in May...

This workshop is about helping you to create conscious control, by teaching you the skills of emotional intelligence and emotional control, the keys to real care factor leadership, and the importance of thinking clearly to make the right decisions… even when you are under stress or duress.

Click here to learn more.

About Anton?

Leaders struggle with their mental health too... Often finding it difficult to lead under pressure.?

Anton is an entrepreneur, speaker, consultant, bestselling author and founder of The Guinea Group. Over the past 15 years, with over 150+ global organisations, he has inspired workplace leadership, safety, and cultural change. He’s achieved this by combining his corporate expertise, education (Bachelor of Psychology), and infectious energy.?

Get in touch with Anton today.?

Sources?

https://bit.ly/3Oo8Pkz ??