Check In With Your Clever Self

Here's one short coaching tip you can action immediately. This post takes about two minutes to read. It will give you a better understanding of leadership and management skills.

Photo by Olivia Bauso on Unsplash

The Tip

Do you ever feeling a little lost in a group or a team? Perhaps you feel like your view is different from everyone else's? You start to lose a little confidence and find it harder and harder to lean in.

If this happens, ask yourself:

How am I clever?

Give yourself permission to answer this question in any way you like. Think of examples from your past. Relive the feeling of being clever.

And then take that feeling back into the task at hand.

I guarantee you'll feel better and more confident. In turn, everyone else will respond to you with more enthusiasm and interest.

That's it. Simple, powerful and actionable.

Why not try it right away?

Do it. Do it now.

How it Works

This technique works by reminding the coachee (or ourselves) that there are many ways to show up to a team, an event, or a project. There are also lots of different types of intelligence (at least 8).

For example, in a meeting full of technical people, with logical-mathematical skills, somebody with interpersonal intelligence could be really powerful. They could help to solve conflicts.

They just need to the confidence to speak from that place of confidence in their intelligence. Which is where the question comes in.

So...How are you clever?

If You Are Coaching Someone

When using this with clients, sometimes it takes a little exploration. We are conditioned to think that intelligence means good at exams using hard facts and figures.

So, if they can't initially think of ways they are clever, consider explaining the different types of intelligence first. And then ask the question again.

This can be a really powerful understanding for many people.

Not only can it help in the short term, it can help with imposter syndrome in the long term. It allows them to make the most of their strengths and to put their areas for development into perspective.