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Lead With Confidence

“To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom” so Socrates was famously thought to have said.

So, who do I have the pleasure of meeting on this page?

How would you describe yourself?

Introduce yourself to me….

Thank you! I can hear some great responses, some very articulate, confident responses.  I can also hear some hesitancy, some responses lacking confidence and some very humble responses.

Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with hundreds of senior managers and leaders.  Some leaders I support do have a strong self-knowledge and understanding and yet others, and sometimes surprisingly, struggle to articulate who they are and what they bring to their role.  This in itself brings the self-doubt and lack of confidence whose corrosive pattern needs to be broken.

Time To Reflect

How do you know yourself? How frequently do you take time out to reflect on you and what is important to you? Consider this checklist:

Your Values

• What is important to you?
• What do you value?
• Where do you place meaning when taking important decisions?
• What situations have triggered passionate responses when your personal values are violated?

Your Interests

• What do you find yourself paying attention to?
• What do you find curious?
• What concerns you?
• What do you find yourself re-reading and reflecting upon?

Your Meaning

• What have been the most meaningful events of your life?
• Where do you feel you add a positive contribution?
• What gives meaning to your day?
• How do you add value to the people around you?

Your Preferences

• How are you energised at work and outside work?
• What zaps your energy?
• What approaches and styles do you find yourself warming to?
• In whose company do you find yourself gaining energy and stimulus?

Your Strengths

• What do you know to be your skills and talents?
• What have been your greatest achievements?
• What would you describe as your character strengths and attributes?
• What have you been particularly proud of in terms of how you behaved?

As Nelson Mandela famously proposed:

“Learn to know yourself… to search realistically and regularly the processes of your own mind and feelings.”

If you are able to spend time knowing yourself, you will be able to articulate who you are to others. Reflect regularly on this. When we have a better understanding of ourselves and what it means to feel good, we can then make choices as to how we present this to others.

Leading With Confidence. How Will This Self-Knowledge Affect You?

Here are some of the areas I feel you can benefit in:

• Clarity in decision making – make better more informed decisions, true to your values and your wider meaning.
• Control of choices – experience a level of control when you’re able to map out options against your values and your strengths.
• Enhanced collaboration – through seeing your own strengths, you can appreciate the strengths in others, have confidence in them and compliment yourself with a great team around you.
• Enhanced commitment – this self-knowledge can instil a renewed motivation to act.
• Less inner-conflict – when what you do is in line with your own expectations of yourself, you turn off the inner critic and feel true to yourself.
• Enhanced personal development – you can develop habits and behaviours in line with your values and say no to actions and behaviours which violate these values.
• Expressing yourself and your contribution – try this!

It was a pleasure meeting you.

I wish you well on your journey of reflection and self-discovery.  Please do let me know your thoughts, comments and progress!