Face your fears | Mastering self-leadership in challenging moments

Being a leader demands that you get of your comfort zone. Just because you’ve made it up the rungs of your career ladder doesn’t mean you don’t have doubts, fears and anxiety. In fact, the higher the climb, the more pressure rises. Plus, it’s part of being human to experience these feelings and emotions.


In challenging, high stakes situations like presenting to the board, representing the business, communicating your strategy and ideas, speaking up in meetings or interviewing for your next dream role, it’s natural to feel out of your comfort zone and feel stress rising.


But who talks about this? Or even feels like it ok’s to say this out loud. It’s the type of open and honest conversation I have with my clients.

CLIENT STORY

Take one of my clients … let’s call them ‘Blake’. Blake is a C-Suite Exec with an awesome career, not to mention a wealth of expertise and experience.


Blake used to get crippled with anxiety when presenting to the board. Going to pieces not just in the meeting but weeks out. This was having a huge impact on Blake’s work and personal life: evenings and weekends were spent over-preparing and worrying. It was interfering with relationships, other projects, sleep, to name but a few. To make it worse, Blake is a perfectionist who was pursuing an impossible goal and lacked self-compassion.


When we first met, Blake opened up about everything they had tried and the frustration of not being able to find a solution to the anxiety that showed up for every single board meeting.


Stress reaction: fight or flee

Any type of stress puts our nervous systems into ‘fight or flight’ mode. Blake was trying to fight the stress by preparing copious amounts of facts and figures in compensation for their self-doubt when speaking up and owning their space as an Executive.

I taught Blake how to calm the nervous system using powerful neuro-science backed practices: a combination of movement, attention and conscious breathing. We also worked on mindset and other self-regulation approaches, which helped Blake to actively take control in other areas of their life and master their self-leadership.


Transformation

Today Blake has a different approach to Board meetings and sees them as an opportunity to engage and have a conversation, and finds them enjoyable! Instead of fighting the stress, Blake turns to daily and in-the-moment tools to stay calm and collected and show up with confidence. Blake’s fear may seem out of perspective, yet it was very real to them.

PUTTING A DIFFERENT LENS ON STRESS

Stress showing up as fear, anxiety, lack of confidence or self-doubt have a huge impact on individuals. Yet, the impact doesn’t stop there. Revealing itself in organisations as:

  • Low productivity

  • Poor engagement

  • High turnover

  • Reduced creativity and problem-solving

  • Lack of psychosocial safety,  and a whole heap more …


“How can individuals and organisations reduce workplace stress?”

This question keeps popping up and understandably because elevated stress levels are impacting business growth and performance, along with employee health, making stress at work a hot topic.


But, is the right question being asked?? What if the whole issue of stress was looked at through another lens:

  • QUESTION: What’s the most impactful way to grow resilience at work?

  • ANSWER: Through a team of healthy leaders and executives

Supporting your Executives to become healthy leaders is a proven way to create a ripple effect of resilience and results in your organisation.

Leader guide

My leader’s guide: THE RESILIENCE RIPPLE EFFECT. HEALTHY LEADERS: THE KEY TO HIGH PERFORMING TEAMS demonstrates that investing in the health of executives and leaders is one of the most impactful ways to grow resilience and create a ripple effect throughout whole organisations that positively impacts:

  • Engagement, participation & culture

  • Performance, productivity & results

  • Turnover, employee health and absence

  • Innovation & outputs

  • Costs, profit & revenue

Get your copy of my leader’s guide to learn more.

WHAT’S INSPIRING ME THIS WEEK

QUOTE: “Being ready is a myth. You start. You suck. Your Figure it out. You get better.” Wise words indeed!


READING: Check out an article I shared on LinkedIn about the ancient practice of attention and its power in navigating work-life today.


SCROLLING: If you are a fellow style lover you are going to love @indiadebeaufort’s reels - dopamine dressing that is sure to put a smile on your face and a spring in your step. Side note: I also have an Executive Styling arm in my business portfolio, mentoring Executives on how to express their personal brand, talent, authority and personality through their clothes.

I can support you, your team or organisation in a number of ways to lift results. Check out these links:

  • Free resource: Download your copy of my leader’s guide on how proactively

  • managing executive stress benefits the individual, teams and whole organisations.

  • Book a call: Let’s talk about your challenges and how I can help.

  • Breathe to Lead:  90 day nervous system reset. 1:1 mentorship for leaders. Transform your executive presence in high pressure situations using the power of your breath.

Rhian ThomasComment