The Confidence Catalyst …
In a recent Confidence Catalyst session with women leaders in STEM, I asked if and how using the technology on the Positive Intelligence® app was creating a confidence boost for them. As women who love science and evidence, they expressed the same incredulity I felt when starting the programme years ago; the more they engaged with both the technology and the group sessions we were having, the more they noticed a tangible impact on their confidence. Over time, their self-doubt was being reduced.
… Changes Your Inner Voice
One technology leader, Sarah, laughed: ‘I can see that my ‘judge’ is just an unhelpful inner voice. And that she’s often wrong about what I’m capable of! I thought her self-limiting beliefs were my ‘truths’ – and that affected me far too long. Now that I can see she’s often wrong based on the evidence, I can challenge her more frequently.’
… Benefits Those Around You
Building on that, one of Sarah’s colleagues, Amina said: ‘I now know other people also have these inner ‘saboteurs’ and, while I can’t fix these voices for them, I now understand better how to work around their judges!’ This on its own was enough to give her the confidence boost in handling difficult colleagues – and even her family members!
She realised she didn’t have to convince others to take the training to receive the benefits; it was enough for her to identify their judges. That meant she could help them avoid spiralling down into their own judgements and keep herself building on the positive. Amina could short-circuit their ‘Debbie Downer’ or ‘Mood Hoover’ tendencies by staying focused on the opportunity of any situation.
… Reminds You to Slow Down
Sal noted that she got a confidence boost from using the mindfulness exercises that cropped up on the app. Initially predicting she’d find the technology aspect to the course ‘annoying,’ Sal now said she found them very grounding.
‘I like that I can do them literally anywhere, and in such short amounts of time. Two minutes here, five minutes there – getting that reminder slows me down and often stops me from saying things to people I know I’ll likely regret in the heat of the moment. They slow my reactionary tendency and make me more compassionate to others, but weirdly also to myself. And with my job, I can certainly use the calmness they provide!’ For Sal, that was the evidence she needed that the course was working for her.
… Helps You Deal with Challenges
Rosa, another leader in the group, said: ‘I like that the evidence is practical. Too often my colleagues and I ‘dwell’ on the negative. To be fair, it’s part of our job description to avoid risk! However, this reminds me to shift mentally towards the practical and focus on ‘what can I do with this challenge now?’ That’s new for me, and for mental fitness and emotional health training I’ve done before.’
Rosa continued her explanation: ‘I like the proactive focus, the ‘what can I do if and when it all hits the fan?’ It reminds me that it rarely does ‘hit the fan’ – and even when it does, the ‘mess’ isn’t as bad as I worried it would be! That’s what the mix of the technology and the group sessions give me. Those sessions allow me to break down the learning and observations to what they mean for me personally.’
For Rosa, this insight provided the confidence boost she needed and could tap back into going forward.
… And Provides a Confidence Boost!
If you think this kind of mental rewiring is something you could benefit from, keep an eye out for my next round of Confidence Catalyst sessions! Or, get in contact for some executive coaching sessions, or a webinar talk!
