7 Confidence Building Steps for Women Leaders
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Women lead everyday in business, organizations, community groups, spiritual communities and other circumstances. Some recognize this leadership and name it while others don’t see what they do as being a leader. Having a strong level of self-confidence is a major key to success for women leaders in any circumstance or position. Here are 7 ideas for women leaders to use in order to grow in self-confidence.
1. Recognize You Are Unique. Do you often feel different from other people because you seem unique? For instance, you might have an unusually strong sense of intuition. Maybe you can see a problem before others by putting loose ends together in your mind. Instead of seeing your unique abilities as a detriment, recognize them as part of your leadership gifts. Embrace your uniqueness and use your gifts to move to new heights in your leadership position.
2. Take Risks. In reality, almost every woman has the potential for succeeding beyond measure. But few women move outside of a familiar box of experiences that they grow accustomed too. Being a confident woman means trying new things and taking risks. Make that phone call that gets you on the program to speak, introduce yourself to a high-level person to build a new network, set goals that make your heart pound and see what happens when you reach these goals. Make taking a new risk like exercise. Do it everyday so it feels bad when you skip doing your risk-taking exercise for a day.
3. Speak in Public. One major point that holds a woman back from reaching her potential as a leader is the lack of confidence in public speaking. If the thought of speaking in public takes you into a mental discomfort zone, you’re actually onto something good. You can learn to make a public presentation. Get coaching, practice your presentation, and find an opportunity to present. People want to hear from you. They need to know what your brilliance sounds like in order to have confidence in your abilities.
4. Stop Feeling Like a Fake. Did you know there are research studies that show successful women often suffer from what is called the “Imposter Syndrome?” This is when you feel like a fake because of what you’ve achieved. This syndrome shows up when you contribute your success to things like luck, a mistake, or being in the right place at the right time. This stand as blockages instead of saying admitting you are successful because you are intelligent, deserving and accomplished. Guess what; you are not a fake. You’re the real deal. The sooner you can stand up and embrace that truth in the depth of your spirit the sooner you will be a stronger role model and mentor to others who needs to come out of the Imposter Syndrome and more towards higher leadership goals.
5. Leverage What You Know. Few things are as empowering as the ability to take what you know and turn that into a source of income. Leaders do this all of the time. Look at the books written and programs developed by leaders in all fields. This is a possibility for you too when you know how. A part of the knowing means acknowledging your personal and professional strengths. Your confidence will soar when you know that you are working from your strengths. That is how you can confidently go about the activities necessary to leverage what you know and create income generating business models.
6. Wear Red. When a former first lady was going to wear red to an event, she let every other woman know not to wear that color. Wearing red in a sea of other colors lets you really stick out. That takes real confidence. While this isn’t saying that you should always wear red, the point is that confidence means having a personal style that tells the world you’re a powerful woman as soon as you walk through the door. Dressing for success takes confidence. Learn to “wear red” in a figurative way every time you put on an outfit and let your confidence speak for itself.
7. Use Power. Power is what gives you the ability to get things done. A confident woman leader must understand and embrace her power. Understanding power means knowing how to influence others to get things done. It also means knowing what to say, when to say it, how to say it, and whom to say it too. There are obvious and not so obvious ways to deal with power and a confident woman learns how these nuances work to increase her effectiveness. You really have power when you know your levels of influence. Your whole demeanor changes when you embrace the truth of your personal and professional power.
Women can and do lead everyday in every walk of life. Confidence is a necessary characteristic for a woman leader to excel in her leadership position. Developing your awareness in these seven areas will help to propel you to higher leadership heights.
Consuelo Meux, Ph.D., is a Strategic Mentor to Women Leaders. Sign up for her mailing list and join a confidence and skills building opportunity to develop your leadership abilities.
Author Dr. Consuelo Meux
www.consuelomeux.com
