Do you want to get a seat at the table? Do this one thing today.

Elevate your Mindset.

Suppose there is one thing you can start today to gain access to that coveted leadership position. Crazy as it sounds, Elevating your mindset is an essential step in your growth as a leader. By letting go of limiting beliefs, inner critic messages, and fears, you will propel yourself forward into your confident zone fully.

As a former HR leader, I can tell you that it is not all about performance or credentials (although performance is essential!). It's about showing up with confidence in yourself and others.

There is no secret to this sauce. No matter how strong you stand out with other leadership competencies, confidence is what holds it all together. After all, if you don't believe in yourself, why should anyone else?

But, like motivation, confidence ebbs and flows. It can be threatened at any time by situations and circumstances that may be anticipated or arise without warning. One giant confidence killer is the inner critic or, in its most common form, impostor syndrome.

Therefore, you must learn to control your inner critic.

How to do that? There are several techniques. However, the one strategy that you can do today to tame this beast is what I call the "Movie-scripting" method.

I know it sounds funny, but as common wisdom has it, everything becomes less scary when you shine a light upon it. A fun way to do that is by playing screenwriter, and it goes like this:

1. Imagine for a second that you are writing, directing, and acting in a movie or play. How would you create and describe this character?

• What his/her name?

• How does he/she look?

• How does it sound like- what kind of voice?

• What type of clothes, makeup, accessories, etc.?

• How would you describe his or her character funnily? (bonus points if you can create it "extra-ridiculous."

Now that you have given this character life, then do the following:

Replicate a scene in your mind where that you know this character usually enters.

What would you say to him when it makes an appearance? My suggestion is that you engage in a bit of questioning, ask:

1. What brings him here?

2. What is the actual reason he/she is making an entrance?

Chances are they are trying to protect you from one of your biggest fears.

Once you know the root of your inner critic's fear, then you can respond to him/her in a way that is compassionate yet firm, for example:

"Thank you for your concern, but I got this."

Or

"Thank you for trying to take care of me and trying to protect me from {insert name of your fear}; however, I no longer need you to protect me as you did when I was {insert name of the source of this fear}, I can take it from here."

By thanking her/him for what they are trying to do, you are compassionate, yet you are taking the narrative's reins.

Do not engage in a shouting match within this screenplay, please. It's not productive, and you probably know by experience that your inner critic will only get stronger.

And if they do not want to leave, that is ok; remember, you are the screenwriter, and you have the power to assign roles and actions within the play or movie. Perhaps it's time to give the inner critic a silent part or have him/her remove from the scene (Time for a cut!)

Lastly, a word of advice, the inner critic, is not something that will go away smoothly. The more you strengthen your mind with this visualization exercise, the easier it will be to tame it.

However, sometimes you need to call in the cavalry and invest in hiring a professional like me. I'm both a Certified Professional Coach (CPC) and a Certified Energy Leadership™ Index Master Practitioner. My mission is to help career-minded BIPOC individuals just like you take the next steps in achieving their career goals with my signature methodology, "Elevate and Own Your Voice ™️"

Interested in learning more, HERE is a link to my contact form.