Are you standing in your own way of success?

Chances are if you are in this community then you want to invest in your growth and you likely have the skills to succeed. You probably also know you can be a great leader. You likely are a high performer who has been promoted organically and you have the experience to excel at your job.

If I’m honest with myself and you I could tick all the boxes above when I was climbing up the ladder in my first career but there was also something standing in my way from owning this…?

How about you is there something in your way holding you back from really stepping into who you are meant to be as a leader??

Let me solve this problem for you really quickly. As much as life happens there is only really one thing that is stopping us from leading with confidence...?

Drum-roll please.?

Fear.??

It’s one of the few emotions that can stop us, frozen in our tracks.??

But it also helps us stay safe when things don’t seem quite right.??

At times it can feel guttural and warranted like the feeling of not trusting someone or something but at other times it can be all about us getting stuck in our head.??

When fear can turn into imposter syndrome?

You know the times when our monkey mind kicks in and starts asking questions like…?

?“Am I good enough?”?

“Do I even know what I’m doing?”?

“What if someone has already done or shared this?”?

“Isn’t there someone more qualified who should be doing this?”?

The ones that make your stomach churn and leave your thoughts racing. It makes us want to not speak up, to stay in our comfort zone, or just get out of the room as fast as we can.??

When I think about the times, I’ve felt like this I know I’m heading into a dark and often unhappy place.? Which isn’t a bad thing more a signal to me that I need to acknowledge where I’m at so I can start doing something about it.??

So, if this speaks to you today, I thought I’d share three of the cornerstones I use for myself and with clients to find the antidote to fear and learn to work with my imposter syndrome.???

Connecting with your inner self-confidence?

The first thing you need is self-confidence. Self-confidence is the ultimate weapon against impostor syndrome. It’s not a “fake it until you make it” attitude and It’s also not something that someone else can give you it starts inside you…?

It starts by being willing to build a sense of self awareness. To really create the space and time to get to know you.??

It’s about knowing your strengths, knowing what excites and drives you, and knowing that with every decision that you make no matter the outcome you’ll be okay.??

As I say to all my clients, we must start creating your ‘internal feedback loop’ to build your inner confidence vs always looking to others to provide positive reinforcement.??

It’s one of the key reasons that I work with managers and leaders on their self-confidence, because I know that unlocking this as a strength helps them keep forward momentum. Even when things get scary, or stressful.??

Creating Clarity?

The second thing you need is clarity. One of the common fears that always pops up in the coaching room is the fear of making the wrong decision or choosing the wrong opportunity. Especially when something just drops in your lap, but you know it’s probably not the right thing to be doing right now (of yes, I’ve been there too).??

The only way to overcome this fear is to develop a clear vision and identify the values that can propel you towards the right decisions. When we have a sense of what’s most important to us it helps guide our decisions and the ways we ultimately show up towards the leader we want to be. It helps us set boundaries and avoid shiny distractions. Clarity helps you find the fastest and simplest route to your goals, and it makes it easier to say no to the things that don’t serve you. That’s why building a clear vision and identifying your values is one of the first steps I take with my Luminous Leader’s and Executive clients in the coaching program.??

When self-confidence is built, and a sense of clarity is present I see leaders light up from the inside out. You can spot them as they have this luminous energy that becomes an unstoppable force towards achieving long-held desires in business and life.?

Find your person?

I can honestly say that every time I can feel that I’m holding myself back I identify someone I can turn to, to help me make the difficult decisions and build the skills I need to move forward.??

In the past I felt I had to go it alone, but I can honestly say after working with great coaches and mentors, the fastest and most rewarding way to get where you want to go is to work with someone who can guide you through the process, keep you focused on your end goal, and help pull you out of the trenches when the fear starts creeping up.??

If this speaks to you, I want you to know you are not alone. If you want to talk about what’s getting in your way from taking that next step in your business or leadership journey, and you’re ready to invest in working with someone that can propel you forward and help you succeed then I’d love to help you get there. Feel free to drop me an email at [email protected] and we’ll chat.?