Good leadership involves the skills of thinking smart, making fast decisions, taking risks, being creative and maintaining resilience even when work is stressful. It involves not only managing tasks well, but managing oneself in order to be a positive influence on others.

We know that many leaders, even successful ones, can be bogged down by inner criticism and negative self-talk that says “I’m just not smart-enough,” “I’ll can’t manage the job,” or “what if I say something stupid and embarrass myself?” This self-defeating mindset increases our stress levels, thwarts courage, creates anxiety, dampens self-confidence and stifles strong leadership. It makes it hard for us to be good advocates for ourselves and also for those who report to us.

We can develop an Inner Coach stronger than the Inner Critic if we learn how to navigate our inner world skillfully – our inner world of thoughts, feelings and self-talk. When we are able to work constructively with our negative self-talk, we increase the likelihood of success for ourselves and our teams. While we cannot be immune to stress or setbacks, we can know how to adapt to new circumstances, align actions with the values of our workplace and make a difference as we move forward.

Inner-Coaching™ involves shifting from a negative mind-set to a positive mindset, the willingness to challenge our thinking when it might not square with reality, our knowing tools for best managing our stress, practicing ways to counteract the voice of the inner critic and using strategies that support us to stay resilient when things are not going our way.