You do actually know what you're doing

Recently I’ve had several senior clients arrive at sessions grappling with how to handle upcoming situations at work. After talking it through for a while, each of them came to the realisation that in fact they are seasoned professionals, they know what they are doing, and the best course of action for them would be to trust their own judgment and proceed as they had planned.

In recent weeks I’ve been writing about various forms of leadership blindspots and illusory superiority, but oftentimes quite the opposite is in issue.

While it’s true that there are people in leadership positions that seem breathtakingly lacking in both ability and self-awareness, there are also many who are amazing, talented, capable, well-regarded and who are held back only by their own self doubt.

Confidence is not the same as dominance.

Someone who needs to dominate others is often (always?) driven by fear and insecurity. A confident person is secure, can back themselves, and can – crucially, for leaders - allow others to shine.

You certainly don’t want to eliminate self-doubt but nor do you want to lose your capacity for accurate self-assessment of your abilities. If you’ve been at it successfully for 20+ years, chances are, you know what you are doing. Trust that.

Until next time, take care of yourself and others,

Madeleine

PS If you’d like to work with me in a coaching program to develop your leadership confidence, I’d love to hear from you. Send me a message to enquire, and please share with anyone you think may benefit.

I work with clients from executive leadership teams to the front line, helping them to make clearer decisions about what they want, and adapt faster and more easily to change and transition. I use deep purpose as a key to unlock powerful thriving in work and life.

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