Category: Personal Development

Imposter syndrome is a crippling fear of not being good enough. Here’s a simple solution to start overcoming it.

How often have you found yourself reacting to a situation in a way that may not have been the most productive? For many of us, when we get triggered we go on autopilot and react unconsciously. Depending on the individual, this can show up as aggression, fear, defensiveness, or withdrawal. The results can damage relationships, reduce our effectiveness as leaders, and keep us from our full potential.

So, how can we work with these triggers and their resulting emotions?

For leaders, shame shows up as a constant, sometimes subconscious story. Like the prodigal son, we feel grossly inadequate, deeply flawed, or humiliated. Chronic shame can keep us from speaking our minds, contributing to our team, or making important decisions.

In a deep way that may not be readily apparent, we seek forgiveness. As the son confessed to his father, our first step in navigating shame is to recognize and name it. Gently, and with a great deal of self-compassion, we can acknowledge its presence.

Put these tips into practice both with your own thinking and with your teams. Creating an environment that is conducive to learning is a key practice in fostering innovation, creativity, and success.

Learn a basic mindfulness practice that will help you choose the actions that best serve your goals.

Every day we make countless unconscious decisions, from how we brush our teeth to which route to take to work. Some of these seemingly minor decisions add up and contribute to our way of being, or how we see the world.

We all have those sticky, tough problems that seem to keep returning until we deal with them. Creative problem solving is a critical skill for leaders to develop both in themselves and in their teams and employees. Tough problems persist because they aren’t easily solvable with our current way of thinking.

If you can learn how to develop self-awareness, you’ll experience better relationships, improved leadership, confidence, and executive presence. Self-awareness is essentially the ability to see yourself as others might and is an essential leadership skill.

In order to manage self-talk, we need to understand where it comes from. It’s that little voice inside our heads that can be helpful in propelling us forward with determination and courage, or it can hinder us with self-doubt, unworthiness, and fear.