Enhancing Confidence, Influence, and Professional Presence for Career Growth
“I did it! I was there, watching myself almost like from the outside, and I felt surprisingly calm and sure of myself. The conversation wasn’t easy though.
The other two engineers didn’t agree with my ideas. As head of Operational Risk Management, you often have to push back against opposing views.
But I handled it. I felt confident, focused, and I clearly explained my point without much trouble” explained D. during a coaching session.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had to stand your ground despite opposition?
Strategy One: Presence
She learned how to observe things without making quick judgments. She learned to take a moment to pause and not let her emotions/thoughts take over.
She also picked up some techniques to help her stay calm, like mindfulness.
Mindfulness includes exercises like meditation, which you can do formally, and other techniques you can use anytime, like during meetings or at work. She learned not to react but to respond.
Should you want to know a bit more about Mindfulness, here is an article explaining the transformative power of the present moment: The power of the present moment
Strategy two: Influence
Understanding, analyzing, and connecting with our emotions, as well as those in our environment, is a crucial skill in both personal and professional life.
Contrary to stereotypes, emotions are not exclusive to one gender. Men, just like women, experience and grapple with emotions, even if societal norms may encourage them to suppress or disregard them.
In a predominantly male work environment, conversations about emotions can be enlightening. It’s essential to debunk the myth that women are more emotional than men.
The truth is, everyone navigates emotional landscapes, whether it’s dealing with ego clashes, the fear of failure, or asserting dominance through displays of anger.
Recognizing the ubiquity of emotions was the first step towards effective emotional management for D. Ignoring or suppressing emotions can lead to misguided decisions and hinder professional relationships.
Hence, both men and women benefit from developing emotional intelligence skills.D could address the underlying needs driving them. This awareness lays the foundation for constructive conflict resolution and negotiation.
Rather than viewing emotions as a weakness, embracing them allows for more authentic interactions and facilitates the pursuit of win-win solutions.
Strategy three: Confidence
She learned how to use and trust what she’s good at. She’s very analytical and logical. Sometimes she feels like she’s too assertive because she asks a lot of questions, which might make people uncomfortable.
But she’s realized that it’s actually one of her strengths. Because she can dig deep into problems, she can shake things up and come up with interesting solutions. Understanding her strengths has made her feel more sure of herself and she’s using them even more now.
That’s given her a sense of stability. Many of us don’t know our strengths, and sometimes we even think they’re weaknesses. I’ve seen it so many times where my clients hide their strengths to try to fit in better. It’s a shame.
When I was a teenager, I played handball. I really enjoyed it. Left-handed people were often a big advantage.
They were unique, and it was cool that they could use their differences to score more points, especially when they were on the right side of the field and caught the other team off guard. Sometimes, it’s good to stand out with what makes us unique so we can do even better.
We should focus on our strengths and manage our weaknesses instead of focusing on our weaknesses and some how manage our strengths.
We offer tailored courses designed to help you gain deeper insights into your strengths and learn how to effectively utilize and combine them.
Our methodology incorporates the CliftonStrengths assessment, which has proven instrumental in enhancing both individual and institutional well-being.
Explore how this approach can empower you and your organization to thrive
Should you want to know more about your strengths and how to be more confident, present and influential at work, join our free webinar.
Christelle
