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How to Develop Leadership Confidence

Life has a funny way of throwing curveballs at you. So, would you juggle them or drop them? A few years ago, I worked as a neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) practitioner. For those who do not know what NLP is, it’s work involving your unconscious mind. Many people are controlled by fears and limiting beliefs that are holding them back from their greatness. NLP practitioners can help individuals remove those fears and thoughts from their unconscious minds, so they can live out their dreams. I’ve done it for myself and seen hundreds of others do the same. Shortly after I finished my NLP training, I started attracting clients. Most of them were coming from the personal development world, so they were right into self-improvement. This was a bonus in itself, as they were ready and willing to grow. One lady in particular who came on board with me, Gloria, came with an exciting request. Gloria had worked for the same firm for the past 19 years and had stayed in the same position. An opportunity had come up to become the head of her division, and she really wanted to go for it. Gloria came to me because she was shy and didn’t believe in herself. As much as she wanted to go for the higher position, she didn’t feel at all confident or sure that she could even put in the application form. Gloria signed on for a breakthrough package, and we started to work right away. Within a few days, we had made fantastic progress. Gloria felt brave and confident enough to apply for the position. A few weeks later, Gloria told me she’d been asked to come for an interview. She was excited, but also terribly nervous and scared. I gave her a boost on a phone call right before her interview, and she walked through the door feeling super strong. What was about to happen, though, even I never expected.
While Gloria was being interviewed, some board members shook their heads and sighed. The lead interviewer saw this and decided to take control. “Gloria?” he said. “While the board feels you could do this job blindfolded, we’d actually like to take you higher. We were wondering if you’d consider taking on the CEO role?” Gloria was absolutely dumbfounded. This was the last thing she expected. Naturally, Gloria asked for some time to process it all. The next day, she told them she’d do the job. A few months went by, and I hadn’t heard from her. Then one day, she called me in a panic! “It’s all a complete mess!” she said. “Wait, what’s a mess, Gloria?” I replied. “The whole thing. It’s all falling apart!” she yelled. As it turned out, the company was in trouble. The last CEO had left a complete mess for Gloria to sort out, and due to her low self-confidence and esteem, she was struggling. See, in Gloria’s mind, she didn’t believe she was cut out to succeed as CEO. If you know anything about mindset, you’ll know that our thoughts control our actions. So, if you do not believe you can do something, chances are, you won’t.
Gloria was a smart woman, though. She knew she had limitations, and instead of just accepting these limitations, she was looking for solutions to fix them. This meant doing even more work on what was buried deep in her unconscious mind.
We decided to work together weekly. There were a few things we needed to tackle, and it would take some time. We started with Gloria’s limiting belief that she wasn’t good enough. Some other issues Gloria had were standing her ground, being strict with poor performers, and being deathly afraid that if she were tough, she wouldn’t be liked. Working with NLP techniques, we were able to work out the root cause of the problem and what was buried deep from her past. Slowly, we started removing the blockages that were stopping her from being a true leader. It wasn’t easy; in fact, the process was long and arduous at times. But Gloria never gave up. After a few months, Gloria was able to start turning things around. She believed in herself, and she knew that now she could lead this company back to greatness. We continued working closely together, building her self-esteem and confidence. What’s important in this story is that Gloria made a choice not to limit herself. She didn’t ask to be thrown into this role, let alone take on a role with so many problems. Many people in her shoes would have quit or even just flailed along. Not our Gloria. She chose to take charge of the situation and do something about it. She decided to be strong, and because of this, she prospered. Not only in her pocket but also in her mind and mindset.
Today, Gloria is still in the role of CEO. She doubled her salary when she accepted the job and tells me that now she has quadrupled her self-belief and self-worth. She now firmly believes that she can take on anything and is proving daily that she is a true leader.
The board of the company is thrilled with the progress she’s making and fully support her on whatever journey she feels she must take on next. Gloria has become unstoppable and is now juggling her curveballs with ease. So, if you find yourself being thrown a curveball and needing some help to juggle it successfully, consider NLP as an option. Success comes down to what you believe you can do. When you gain the freedom of believing you can do anything, life really becomes nothing but joy.
To be a true leader, you must conquer your mindset. It’s truly the only way forward. I’m no longer working in the NLP field; however, I have some wonderful people I can recommend should you require assistance. Feel free to reach out, and I will guide you. About Maini Maini Homer is the Founder and CEO of Copywriters International. She is an entrepreneur and mastermind businesswoman living on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. Maini has been in business for herself for over 23 years and has created 13 successful businesses from scratch. Recently, she also became #1 international bestselling author in three categories and countries as well. Visit Maini at www.copywritersinternational.com .

How to Develop Leadership Confidence
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