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Earlier this month, I wrote about the inspirational morning routine founded by Hal Elrod, The Miracle Morning. This has put me in mind of the power of our inner voice and how we can harness this to help us move forward in our life. Today, there are so many everyday occurrences which make us nervous. Uncertainty and risk surrounds us and, in order to survive and thrive in this climate, especially as leaders, we need to think about our own and others’ inner voice.
As a coach, I often encourage my clients to use a strong inner voice to build their own power by making affirmations. Our inner voice can be highly critical so it needs to be trained if we are to get benefit from it. In my opinion, the best way to make affirmations fit into your life, and work for you, you need to build them into the circumstances in which you find yourself.
How can my inner voice make me a better leader?
For the reasons outlined above, leaders need to be aware that every individual will be feeling and experiencing 2020 in a different way. Having empathy and listening to others are important leadership skills and, today, they are needed more than ever.
People will want to feel nurtured; they will need a sense that you care and will help them to minimise risks. As we slowly return to office environments, remember that not everyone will be experiencing these changes the way you do.
Creating our own positive and powerful inner voice can help us to bring out the same thing in others. It will also generate a sense of calm and trust in those around you which is essential for remaining productive in today’s climate.
What can influence my inner voice?
To add to the general confusion and constantly changing environment we are in, there are other things that can interfere with (therefore influencing negatively) our inner voice.
The media is the most obvious one, with reports coming thick and fast, often contradicting themselves and sometimes hard to put into context. More than ever, leaders need to keep a level head so decide what you will use as a trusted source and stick to it.
When it comes to your teams, keep your ears open and alert to certain words or phrases which might indicate someone is struggling. A good way to remember the words which show someone feels pressured (or is putting themselves under pressure) is SMOG – should, must, ought, got – these words are not positive. Equally, people who respond to a challenge or target with “I’ll try…” are giving themselves an opening to fail. As leaders, we want to encourage “I will” or “I want” along with positive thinking and non-pressured thoughts, such as “I’d like to, I could”.
How can I train my inner voice?
The amazing Brené Brown has some sound advice for any of us with a particularly loud or persistent inner voice. She advises us to write down whatever is cycling through our mind. Doing this simple thing gives us distance and the chance to properly process the thought. Our mind can be like a washing machine, tumbling thoughts around but not necessarily dealing with any of them individually. By writing our thoughts down, we can see them for exactly what they are, get perspective and decide on an approach if one is needed.
I tend to think of a persistent inner voice as similar to a fire. While it is in your head, you are giving it oxygen to burn. Remove it from your head and give yourself time to get your objectivity back.
As leaders, being able to harness our inner voice is a win-win. We become a better leader, with greater clarity and resilience and we also remove unnecessary stress from our lives, giving us the capacity to help others do the same. It has always been dangerous to ignore our internal dialogue, or to let it take over, but this has never been more true as we try to navigate previously unimagined challenges and remain a figurehead for those who follow us.
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