Where are you hiding?

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

On face value, a strange question to ask an entrepreneurial CEO in our first meeting. What’s worse, I had cupped my hands in front of my mouth as if literally shouting.

Turns out she had been hiding. Hiding from being her true self. The result was a strong frustration on her part. What I saw was someone living a shadow life.

Fear paralyses us. It stops us from making bold decisions. It forces us to play safe in a role we hate. Frustration gnaws at our spirit, sapping our energy. We know we want more, to do more, but we stay in our little ruts which are no more than a coffin with the ends kicked out.

a rut is a coffin with the ends kicked out

As we explored how her fear played out, she grew increasingly animated. Lightbulbs popped as she realised how hiding kept her in the shadows. Stopped her from asking for additional work from her clients. Stopped her from taking the necessary risks to grow her business. Stopped her from wearing what she wanted, saying what she wanted... it turned out, hiding stopped her from doing a lot of things. 

It might feel safe, but how much of life is missed?

We likened hiding to being in the back of a cave. It might feel safe, but how much of life is missed? By comparison we examined what acting out of real confidence would look like. The result is rather like what you would see should you see any of my holiday pics. Standing with arms stretched wide, big smile, as if saying “Taaa-daaaa”. 

Now she had a simple way of ensuring that every phone call, every meeting, every decision was from a place she wanted. All she needed to do was ask herself, “What does ‘taaaa-daaaa’ look like right now?”.

What does ‘taaa-daaa’ look like right now?

To demonstrate the power of this new approach, I asked her to leave the hotel lobby we were in, and renter to reintroduce herself. The result was transformational. This time I was greeted with a warm smile, a hug and an attractive level of energy. She was taking up, and owning, her own space. Her own “Taaa-daaaa”. 

She texted me later that day that her new approach had already worked wonders. A few phone calls and a key meeting had resulted in outcomes she didn’t think previously possible. 

So, I’d like to ask you the same question. Where are you hiding? And what does your “Taaa-daaa” look like?

o

The photo above is me in Dubrovnik, Croatia, a few years ago. Not the best photo, but I felt it was more authentic than using a stock image!

I seek to disrupt senior leaders (CEOs, MDs, boards/ExCos, SLTs) and the organisations they run. To discuss your own biggest challenges confidentially, book here: https://calendly.com/mark-bateman

”Working with Mark Bateman was life changing, not only for me, but my leaders and my business”. Ian Kershaw, Founder/CEO of CDA Group.

”Mark has step changed my ability to engage and envision my organization and enabled big thinking combined with practical guidance. It was life changing.”. Joanne Scaife, CEO, Clearblue (a P&G company).

(C) Welcome Insight 2019