To show you what I'm talking about...
Let me tell you the story of my client, Kate.
Kate was just starting a new role with greater responsibility and visibility – which meant more meetings. And she dreaded meetings, especially those with senior leaders.
She never felt comfortable speaking up. There was so much for her to process mentally and emotionally. Kate put a lot of pressure on herself to sound intelligent. And the fear of sounding stupid only overwhelmed her more.
When Kate was asked questions or had to give input on the spot — she would freeze or launch into a nervous tailspin. Which, as you may guess, didn’t make Kate look so good.
When I coached Kate and gave her tools to calm herself in these high-pressure situations, she felt more in control and less overstimulated. This meant she could express herself confidently without hesitation.
With newfound confidence, Kate eventually led a company-wide all hands meeting and received a lot of positive feedback.
More importantly, Kate felt proud of how competent her colleagues perceived her to be. She consistently felt more secure and emotionally balanced at work – something she hadn’t experienced in a long time.