Ever keep track of how often you hold yourself back or don’t speak up?
It’s a key metric that you want to keep a pulse on and in the business world, aren’t KPI’s what we live and breathe all day, everyday to measure performance?
This is not a blame game, it’s an awareness of how we can be more visible, gain respect and credibility.
Keep a pulse on this metric because it is tied to how much you trust yourself. Trusting your decisions and a belief that others can put their trust in you.
A simple way to keep track is to notice how often you are leaning into daily action that addresses some level of fear and resistance, when you discover an opportunity to lead with impact.
So as an example, say you’re sitting in a meeting, and there’s the elephant in the room that no one wants to speak about. There’s hesitancy and then you throw a bomb in the meeting. You bring it to the forefront, because it will support the greater good of the team.
Or maybe you offer a recommendation, an opinion, or a trend that you’re seeing in the industry. Again, a ripe opportunity to lead with impact.
Look for how often you’re stepping into these areas.
Let’s talk about fear. There are only 2 innate fears that humans are born with. The fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. That’s it!
Before I forget, I want to be sure you know about my leadership audio course (it’s free) that’s designed to help you own your authority in your career by applying 5 top strategies and it works. It’s based on two decades of leading in Corporate America, (I’m a former Wall St. Executive) and those professionals I coach here at In Our Shoes.
Now back to other ways where you may be holding yourself back due to fear (in this case a fear of looking foolish). These are situations where you are not speaking up and asking for what you need or not feeling comfortable to disagree with the majority of those in the room, including possibly your own manager!
It could also be something a little bit more passive, where you talk yourself out of making a career transition.
Write down some actions that you can take right now to own your personal authority. Let’s call these micro-ambitious goals.
Defending a decision is micro-ambitious. So is asking a question that no one else is asking.
Now I know that you don’t wake up in the morning and say: “How often am I going to own my personal authority today?”
However, I want you to be aware of the triggers when you aren’t owning it, because you know what those are!
It doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to that segment of your life.
Let’s look at your personal life. Examine the relationships you have. If you’re a parent, look how often you’re speaking up to your child’s teacher, or sports coach. Keeping track of this metric is the key to self trust.
When you trust yourself, others will too. Self trust grows over time.
Owning your authority starts with stepping into daily action where you feel some resistance or fear.
“Successful business leaders tackle some form of daily discomfort through a focus on both internal and external dialogue to achieve higher levels of influence and leadership” – Own Your Authority (McGraw Hill)
Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope this post has supported you.
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