Tag: #saboteurs

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Increase Your Self-Confidence to Overcome Impostor Syndrome

Leaders often face unique challenges in their careers, and moments of doubt and uncertainty can sometimes give rise to impostor syndrome. This pervasive feeling of inadequacy can affect even the most accomplished individuals, leading to self-questioning, missed opportunities, and burnout. However, by adopting practical strategies to boost self-confidence, leaders can overcome impostor syndrome and thrive in their roles.

Set Achievable Goals and Celebrate Small Wins

Start by setting achievable goals and celebrating small wins. When you break down larger goals into manageable tasks, you create a clear path forward, making your objectives more attainable. Each completed task becomes an opportunity to celebrate progress, vital for maintaining motivation and reinforcing positive behavior. Whether it’s sharing your achievements with your team, expressing gratitude to those who supported you, or indulging in a well-deserved self-care activity, recognizing these victories helps to combat self-doubt and build confidence.

Practice Self-Care and Prioritize Mental Health

Self-care and mental health should be top priorities for any leader. Taking care of yourself enhances your ability to handle stress and uncertainty, boosting your confidence and sense of self-worth. Self-care can take many forms, from getting enough sleep and exercise to spending quality time with loved ones. Whatever your preferred method, integrating self-care into your daily routine is essential for maintaining your well-being and sustaining your leadership journey.

Seek Feedback and Support from Trusted Sources

Seeking feedback and support from trusted sources is another powerful way to reinforce self-confidence. Surround yourself with mentors, colleagues, and friends who have your best interests and can provide honest and constructive feedback. Their perspectives can help you see your strengths more clearly and validate your accomplishments. Additionally, connecting with like-minded individuals who share similar challenges can provide valuable support and encouragement.

Embrace Vulnerability and Take Risks

Embracing vulnerability and taking risks are also critical components in overcoming impostor syndrome. The fear of failure or being exposed as a fraud often underpins these feelings, but stepping out of your comfort zone allows you to grow and learn. This willingness to take risks challenges self-doubt and strengthens your leadership capabilities. Moreover, embracing vulnerability can deepen your connections with others and foster stronger relationships.

Identify your Strengths and Accomplishments

Identifying your strengths and accomplishments is crucial in building self-confidence. Start by listing your skills and abilities—whether it’s effective communication, problem-solving, or expertise in a specific area. Also, document your accomplishments, big and small, such as successfully leading a project or achieving a personal milestone. Focusing on these positives reinforces your self-worth and empowers you to face challenges with greater assurance.

Practice Positive Self-Talk

Lastly, practice positive self-talk to counteract the negative thoughts that fuel impostor syndrome. The way you talk to yourself has a profound impact on your confidence and self-esteem. Negative self-talk can reinforce feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy, while positive self-talk can help you to build confidence and self-worth.

We leverage the framework of Positive Intelligence® to strengthen mental fitness muscles and weaken the impostor syndrome self-talk.

To practice positive self-talk, start by becoming aware of your inner critic. When you think negatively, challenge and replace those thoughts with positive ones.  

For example, if you think, “I’m not good enough,” challenge that thought by reminding yourself of your strengths and accomplishments. By applying the strategies of Positive Intelligence®, you can take control your inner critics, aka your saboteurs, instead of the saboteurs controlling your inner dialogue. Positive Intelligence® will help you build confidence and self-esteem.

Overcoming impostor syndrome is a journey that involves embracing your strengths, setting realistic goals, and fostering a positive mindset. By celebrating small wins, prioritizing self-care, seeking feedback, and practicing positive self-talk, you can gradually build self-confidence and silence the inner critic that fuels self-doubt. Remember, it’s okay to be vulnerable and take risks—these steps are essential for growth and self-assurance. With persistence and the right strategies, you can transform your mindset and truly own your successes.

If you’re ready to power up your leadership presence and conquer impostor syndrome, join my colleague, Anita Torres, PCC, and me in our live virtual advanced program. The PowerUp Your Leadership Presence – Beat Impostor Syndrome Using Positive Intelligence® program starts October 4th.

For more information and to register.

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My Impostor Story

Depositphotos/j.dudzinski

As a certified leadership coach, I work with leaders who struggle with impostor syndrome – those negative voices telling you you’re not good enough or don’t know enough. If you can relate, you’re not alone. 

As a solo entrepreneur, I’ve struggled with imposter syndrome as well. I struggled the most when creating and delivering workshops and presentations.

The issue was me comparing myself to others. My inner critics would say, “You’re not as good as so and so,” “You will never measure up to that person because they are better than you.” My inner voices would also say, “What the heck do you know about this topic area?” and “They know more than you.”   

I often second-guessed myself wondering if my work was good enough, if it was creative enough. I would also be asking myself, “How would she say this?”  

Then, when it came time to deliver the presentations and the workshops, my inner critics reared their ugly heads again and said, “Who are you to say these things? “Why should they listen to you? “and “You’re going to bore them.” Ouch.  

These thoughts stressed me out, and I realized that I had a choice to make – I had to stop this toxic inner dialogue or stop doing this work, which I was not willing to do. 

So, I decided to do something about the negative thoughts. 

As a coach, I use lots of different tools to support leaders. I coached myself and started reframing my negative thoughts to positive ones to flip the script.

I considered what made me unique and different from other trainers and coaches. I focused on my special skills, knowledge, and attitude. Once I started doing this, I could better manage the negative thoughts, making me feel more confident about the content and my leadership presence. 

Positive Intelligence: Strengthen Your Mental Fitness Level 

Another tool I now use to help grow my confidence and leadership presence is Positive Intelligence®, created by Shirzad Chamine, and it has been a game changer. 

Positive Intelligence® is all about strengthening our mental fitness which is our capacity to respond to life’s challenges with a positive rather than a negative mindset.  

Saboteurs

I know now that the inner critics I was experiencing were my saboteurs. The Judge and my stickler accomplice saboteurs were responsible for much of my stress and negative mind chatter.   

The Sage

The counterpart to the Saboteurs is the Sage, which generates positive emotions while handling life’s challenges.

The Sage is responsible for empathy, compassion, gratitude, curiosity, the joy of creativity, and calm, clear-headed action. The five Sage strategies are empathize, explore, innovate, navigate, and activate. 

The Saboteur voices that compared me to others are not gone, but through Positive Intelligence®, using the five Sage strategies, I have been able to lower their volume. My Saboteurs are losing power, and I am more in command of my thoughts and emotions.  

Positive Intelligence® helps me everyday and it can help you as well. If you’re ready to power up your leadership presence and address impostor syndrome, join my colleague, Anita, the Passionista, Torres, PCC, and me in our live virtual program called, ‘Power UP Your Leadership Presence: How to Beat Impostor Syndrome.’

This virtual and highly interactive program is designed to help women leaders develop strategies to combat impostor syndrome and cultivate self-worth and self-confidence, which are essential for overall well-being and success.    

For more information and to register.

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How improving self-confidence promotes overall well-being

A big part of being successful in any business is having the confidence to put yourself out there. If you ask anyone why they aren’t seizing a new opportunity, outside of logistics, the number one reason is probably fear. It’s amazing what some people would be able to accomplish if they didn’t struggle with a lack of confidence.

It isn’t just business that confidence is beneficial for, but your entire well-being.

  • You take better care of yourself when you feel more prideful.
  • You’re less likely to agree to things that aren’t beneficial to you in any way.
  • Lower your chances of burnout when you make more confident decisions.
  • Improve productivity with a heightened sense of purpose

Registration is now open for the PowerLEAD Development Training Program. This program supports leaders to increase leadership effectiveness and success in their role.

For more information and to register: https://redworkscoaching.com/services/executive-coaching/powerlead-a-leadership-development-training-program/

Your organization may be eligible for up to two-thirds of the training cost through the Canada Job Grant program.

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The Importance of Social Awareness and Practicing Empathy

We can’t always expect to understand what people are thinking or experiencing, but it certainly helps to try. When you’re able to express greater levels of empathy, it cultivates a deeper sense of trust within your team. People are much more likely to engage with those they feel more comfortable with, and it leads to improved teamwork and collaboration.

Aside from that, empathy helps you form more well-rounded business strategies. You can’t expect to have any idea what kind of products or services to provide if you aren’t in touch with the needs of your customers. When you and your employees have a more united understanding of empathy and how to apply it in the workplace, everyone benefits from it.

To get your team on the right track for 2023, registration is now open for the foundational 6-week Positive Intelligence® Business Training Program. This program enables teams to maximize both performance and well-being simultaneously by focusing on the root-level muscles that impact both.

For more information and to register: https://redworkscoaching.com/services/executive-coaching/positive-intelligence-increasing-your-mental-fitness/

Your organization may be eligible for up to two-thirds of the training cost through the Canada Job Grant program.

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Improving Your Relationships Strengthens All Areas of Your Life

We all know how important communication is, so why don’t more people place that same level of importance on relationships? If you want to make a real impact, you need to do more than simply get a message across.

Understanding how to cultivate and maintain relationships within teams is crucial to the success of any business organization. So, it’s important that you give your employees the tools they need to show up as their best selves when they work for you. Improving relationships at work naturally puts people in a better position to succeed in other areas of their lives and often leads to heightened confidence and a stronger sense of self.

To get your team on the right track for 2023, registration is now open for the foundational 6-week Positive Intelligence® Business Training Program. In fact, 83% of participants reported improved self-confidence and 85% reported a significant increase in happiness.

For more information and to register: https://redworkscoaching.com/services/executive-coaching/positive-intelligence-increasing-your-mental-fitness/

Your organization may be eligible for up to two-thirds of the training cost through the Canada Job Grant program.

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How to Achieve Business Success by Harnessing Your Team’s Potential

You’ve probably heard of “self-sabotage” before, but have you ever thought about it in the context of a team or entire organization? If you want your business to succeed, you need to make sure your employees have the necessary tools to mitigate conflict, balance work responsibilities, and manage stress in a healthy way.

The more equipped your team is, the more space you give them to reach their potential. Instead of allowing friction in the workplace, it’s important that you foster a work environment that emphasizes communication, understanding, and teamwork. When everyone’s on the same page and working towards the same goal, there’s no limit to what you can achieve.

To get your team on the right track for 2023, registration is now open for the foundational 6-week Positive Intelligence® Business Training Program, where they will learn how to maximize both performance and well-being simultaneously by focusing on the root-level muscles that impact both.

For more information: https://redworkscoaching.com/services/executive-coaching/positive-intelligence-increasing-your-mental-fitness/

To register please contact us.

Your organization may be eligible for up to two-thirds of the training cost through the Canada Job Grant program.

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Improved Conflict Management Leads to Better Relationships

No workplace is free of conflict, but it’s how you and your team manage it that matters. Poor conflict management can lead to:

  • Decrease in productivity
  • Low company morale
  • Increase in employee turnover (decrease in employee retention)

On the other hand, when you invest in conflict management education and give your team the right tools, you remove several barriers to productivity. With a well-rounded approach to conflict management, you can expect:

  • Improved team productivity
  • Positive work environment
  • Open communication

To get your team on the right track for 2023, registration is now open for the foundational 6-week Positive Intelligence® Business Training Program. In fact, 84% of participants reported that they felt significantly better at conflict management after starting the program, and 92% feel that they’re much better at teamwork and collaboration.

For more information: https://www.positiveintelligence.com/business

To register please contact Marielle.

Your organization may be eligible for up to two-thirds of the training cost through the Canada Job Grant program.

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Imposter Syndrome: The Impact of Your Inner Voice

Sometimes we use our inner voice to guide us to make better decisions, sometimes intuition can be more valuable than facts. When it comes to something like impostor syndrome, you’re usually stuck dealing with a vicious cycle of anxiety, things turning out okay, and attributing that success to something other than your ability.

When you deal with constant bouts of anxiety and fear like this, it’s not uncommon for you to advance into depression. The reason why it’s so hard to get out of this cycle is that the more you accomplish, the stronger the “impostor” feeling becomes.

It might be hard for you to pinpoint exactly where impostor syndrome affects your current life, so here are some examples:

  • You’ve moved into a leadership role and feel uncomfortable when referred to by your newer title as if you didn’t earn it.
  • You might have a hard time promoting yourself or your business because you feel like those who do have more experience than you.
  • You often find yourself in a state of indecision because of your lack of confidence in your role.

While these feelings are difficult to navigate and hard to talk about, you don’t have to do it alone.

Registration is now open for the next 6-week Positive Intelligence® Mental Fitness Foundation program starting November 12, 2022. The program is based on Shirzad Chamine’s Positive Intelligence® work.

You will learn to use negative emotions as a helpful alert and then quickly shift to the positive region of the brain that has the calm, clarity, objectivity and creativity to handle life’s challenges more effectively.

For more information and to register: https://redworkscoaching.com/services/executive-coaching/positive-intelligence-increasing-your-mental-fitness/6-week-mental-fitness-foundation-program/

Your organization may be eligible for training funding.

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Discover what’s holding you back: Identifying Imposter Syndrome in Female Leaders

According to a recent study, a whopping 90% of female employees struggle with impostor syndrome. What’s even more shocking? This happens to people regardless of their level of expertise, it’s a psychological pattern that often isn’t noticed until the symptoms start to become overwhelming. In fact, only about 25% of those surveyed are aware of their symptoms.

Females in leadership positions deal with enough pressure, so recognizing impostor syndrome can help you stay on track and focus on business goals. Impostor syndrome presents itself in different ways, some of the symptoms include:

  • Believing your success is based on luck.
  • You might think people will “discover” that you are somehow unqualified for your position, even though you are.
  • Self-doubt and thinking that you don’t deserve the praise you receive.
  • Constant fear that you are going to disappoint people.
  • Setting far-fetched goals and being hard on yourself when you (realistically) fall short.

The only way to grow as a leader is to face your mental challenges head-on, but it isn’t easy to do it alone.

Registration is now open for the next 6-week Positive Intelligence® Mental Fitness Foundation program starting January 21, 2023. The program is based on Shirzad Chamine’s Positive Intelligence® work.

You will learn to use negative emotions as a helpful alert and then quickly shift to the positive region of the brain that has the calm, clarity, objectivity and creativity to handle life’s challenges more effectively.

For more information and to register: https://redworkscoaching.com/services/executive-coaching/positive-intelligence-increasing-your-mental-fitness/6-week-mental-fitness-foundation-program/

Your organization may be eligible for funding.

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Remove Your Hand From The Hot Stove

As you know, your ability to feel pain is very helpful. If you touch a hot stove it’s good to feel pain so you’re alerted to the danger to your body and quickly remove your hand.

Similarly, negative emotions like stress, fear, anger, disappointment, guilt and shame are extremely helpful to alert you that something needs your attention.  But once you have benefited from the alert, it’s harmful for you to stay in those negative emotions.

Staying stressed, afraid, disappointed, guilty, or ashamed makes it harder for you to think clearly or take the most effective action to deal with the problem.

Your sage (positive) mind is much more capable of being creative and insightful or taking calm, clear-headed, decisive action to deal with the challenge that lead to those negative emotions.

So, if you find yourself staying in the negative emotions for more than a second, your saboteurs are keeping your hand on the hot stove and complaining why life is so hard.   

Registration is now open for the next 6-week Positive Intelligence® Mental Fitness Foundation program starting January 21, 2023. The program is based on Shirzad Chamine’s Positive Intelligence® work.

You will learn to use negative emotions as a helpful alert and then quickly shift to the positive region of the brain that has the calm, clarity, objectivity and creativity to handle life’s challenges more effectively.

For more information and to register: https://redworkscoaching.com/services/executive-coaching/positive-intelligence-increasing-your-mental-fitness/6-week-mental-fitness-foundation-program/