Fly, Little Birdie, Fly!

In the corporate world, having “executive presence” is often cited as a desired coaching engagement outcome. And, while it often includes communication style and strategic thinking components, when asked if they also would like to show up in a grounded yet approachable way, the answer is always a resounding yes!

Hmm … sounds like confidence to me.

So what makes it difficult for so many high-performing executives (and teams too) to exude confidence? I mean, these folks are talented, smart, innovative and resilient. Wouldn’t that be enough for anyone to have all of the confidence in the world? Well, it is easier said than done. Some folks might say, “why don’t you just ‘fake it until you make it’?” My response to that is : how do you fake being “you”? Certainly, that’s not being confident.

What I’ve come to realize is that many high-achieving people don’t take the time to step back and really explore: what makes them tick (and what ticks them off); their strengths and gifts; the choices they’ve made; and how they want to make an impact. This is the essence of how to Strengthen Your Core, the first part of The LAITHOS Way™ leadership journey. This is where you own your brilliance and stand with confidence.

The cool thing about confidence is that it breeds courage – to take risks, to be vulnerable, to speak what’s true for you, to be intentional about the impact you want in your world. The more confidence you have, the more courageous you may become; and the more courageous you become, the more confident you’ll be in you. No need to “fake” anything.

This Week: Block 30 minutes at the beginning of the week and think about where you want to be more courageous in “bringing you” to a situation. Afterwards, reflect on what worked for you (and perhaps what did not). How courageous were you? In what ways did your confidence support your courage? What do you need to know more of about yourself in order to increase your confidence?

In Next Week’s Post: We look at how taking risks actually serves you.