[Alicia Davis] Hello, I’m Alicia Davis.

[Stacie Watson] And I’m Stacie Watson.

[Alicia Davis] We are the founders and co-owners of Transformative Leadership Strategies, a coaching, training, and team-building company. And we want to thank you so much for downloading our guide, Skyrocketing Your Confidence as a Leader. And, you know, I think we all can use a boost in our confidence at different times Stacie and, you know, this confidence guide and these videos, we’re really creating them because our community has really talked with us about challenges around confidence, haven’t they?

[Stacie Watson] Absolutely, you know, we weave confidence into all of our leadership programs as a key topic. And I think it’s because confidence is just such a big word. And it doesn’t look the same from person to person. And even for the same person, it doesn’t show up in the same way from situation to situation. So it’s complicated. And so, you know, one of the things that we really set out to do was to take this really big idea and to break it into smaller parts – to factors – so that we can begin to understand what are some of the things that contribute to how much or not so much we’re feeling confident in a given situation? And that’s sort of the backbone of this entire guide, right?

[Alicia Davis] That’s right. So if you have the guide in front of you, it’s the confidence wheel. And if you don’t, that’s okay, it’s right here. And today, the key factor in confidence that we’re talking about is how to speak up and voice your opinion. And we have a, I think, a kind of unique approach to this one, and I know this is one of your favorite ones. So tell us about it…

[Stacie Watson] Well, you know, it is and I think it’s because a lot of times when we think of speaking up, you know, we might think well, I’m not an extrovert, so I’m not the person that’s gonna sit in the front of the class and raise my hands the moment the teacher asks the question, you know, that’s just not how I, you know, am wired. And I guess what we say is, that’s perfectly fine. But when we’re thinking about speaking up as a leader, from a confidence perspective, it’s really about speaking up when I really have something that needs to be said. And noticing, you know, am I able to do that, or perhaps when am I not able to do that, or I feel less able to do that. And that’s where I think curiosity can be really interesting, you know, it doesn’t have to do with the people around the table. And maybe I’m the only, right, the only woman, the only person of color, whatever that might be. Perhaps I’m the youngest person around the table, and everyone around me has more experience. I mean, we just hear the stories all the time. So beginning to really be aware of how the ability or the comfort in speaking up again, when I feel like there’s something that I need to say or want to offer. It’s a really powerful awareness practice. And it’s really important for confidence.

[Alicia Davis] It is for sure. And you know, as you’re assessing on the wheel, you know, that one is, “Oh, yeah, I noticed that I really don’t speak up very often at all,” and ten is, “You know, what, I speak up for myself when I really feel like I need to, and I advocate.” And so wherever you are, and again, what you said Stacie is so important, it’s situational, it’s dependent on the people around us. And so, you know, one way that you might notice that it’s happening, or notice what you can do instead, you know, maybe you notice that your voice cracks or it gets kind of that raises at the end, you know, and maybe you can take a deep breath and calm yourself before you actually say something, right. Another way that I think that we’ve noticed this is often we preface it by saying, “Oh, I’m sorry,” or “I’m not sure about that.” And so if you notice, oh, that’s a little habit that I have, see if you can really pause and just don’t say that, say what it is that you want to say. And really try to own it a little bit. Right?

[Stacie Watson] Yes. Yeah.

[Alicia Davis] And, so if you notice that, you know, whatever you notice, you can jot it down. There’s a little table at the end of the guide where you can jot down a note and try one little thing that’s just a little bit different. See what happens, and we would love to hear from you about it. And you can always email us at info@tlstransforms.com. And thank you so much for listening.

[Stacie Watson] Thank you