Do you consider yourself highly confident or confidence challenged?
 
Confidence is an essential ingredient in everything we do from high profile presentations to standing up to unruly toddlers.
 
But what is confidence?
 
It can be described as a feeling of self-assurance arising from one's appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities.
 
In other words, you feel good when you believe in yourself. When you trust that you are on the right path with the right plan.
 
But what happens when things change?
 
Your plan is challenged. Your budget is cut. Your boss disagrees.
 
At exactly the time when we need every ounce of confidence we can muster, our confidence can dip.
 
Then what?
 
For most of us, we grit our teeth, lose sleep, worry, wonder if we’re in the wrong job, feel overwhelmed and hope our confidence will magically return.
 
There’s a better way.
 
First of all remember, you are not alone.
 
Everyone’s confidence is challenged, especially when significant changes are happening. And in today’s world, change is the name of the game.
 
Then sit still. Get grounded. Take a long, deep breath, and then another and another. You’ll find that your energy will settle and you’ll immediately feel calmer.
 
From that calmer place start making a plan of action. Decide what you need to do next.
 
Think about where the challenges might be and prepare. Prepare for those challenges so they don’t take you by surprise.
 
When you have a game plan, your confidence will immediately start to return.
 
You’ll feel more in control. Good ideas will start to surface.
 
Doing these things is a good start.

However, there’s a whole lot more to keeping your confidence high.
 
If you are a woman manager and need additional skills and tools to keep your confidence high, join the next Women Manager’s Leadership Cohort. It kicks off on July 15. Dates and other details are here:   www.wiseleader.net/women-managers-cohort.html
 
If you have women managers on your team, invite them to enroll in the Cohort.
 
The Women’s Leadership Cohort has been a powerful discovery for the women who've participated in it.
 
Not only do they enjoy six sessions of powerful leadership training, but they find many kindred spirits among the other participants.
 
Women in similar situations, all asking questions, sharing experiences, and supporting each other.
 
At the Women’s Leadership Cohort, we spend time discussing overwhelm, self-talk, and the tools to help women become more confident. Our next session begins July 15th. 
 
Sign up here https://www.wiseleader.net/women-managers-cohort.html. I promise, you’ll be glad you did.
 
If you have any questions, be sure to email me. Rita@wiseleader.net
 
Hope to see you or your direct reports in July!   

Executives often make it difficult for mid-level managers to challenge them.
 
For too long, we’ve been trained to implement whatever the most senior executive wants.
 
Too often the implementation has negative ramifications on the organization. Frustration among employees, lost revenue and missed targets soon follow. And the executive team ends up scratching their heads wondering what happened.
 
What is almost always missing is the opportunity for candid and sincere dialogue with the managers who see things from a different perspective.
 
Problems that the executive had no way of knowing about can be averted. The confidence for mid-level managers can soar and their understanding of the organization’s strategic initiatives deepen. 
 
That’s good for everyone and the organization.
 
How to be make more dialogue and collaboration happen?
 
For executives, share your thoughts and ideas for new initiatives with your mid-level managers BEFORE you implement. Ask your mid-level managers what they think about the initiative. Ask them what could go wrong. 
 
Most of all be open and sincere about truly wanting to know their points of view. Be curious and listen to what they tell you. After all, they are closer to the day to day and have deep understanding of how the systems and processes work for their deliverables.
 
For mid-level managers, be confident in what your concerns are. Think strategically about what the executive wants their initiative to accomplish. Then make note of where the problems could be and think about viable solutions to those problems. 
 
Next build the Business Case for the conversation with the executive. If you do the strategic thinking and prep work, the chances of having a meaningful and influential conversation with the executive go way up.
 
For many executives, this means they need to let go of control and their pre-occupation with being right. 
 
For many mid-level managers, this means they need to be confident and prepared enough to initiate the conversation with the executive.
 
It takes a while for engrained behaviors and beliefs to change. 
 
Executive coaching and the Women Managers Cohort are two approaches that can help.
 
I’ve seen transformational change happen for both executives and women managers. It’s exciting to help them realize the possibilities for their organizations. And for them to adjust their behavior so they get more of the results they are looking for.
 
The next Women Managers Cohort kicks off on July 15.
Click here https://www.wiseleader.net/women-managers-cohort.html for dates and topics. 
 
One on one Executive Coaching starts whenever you are ready. Click here www.WiseLeader.net to find the program that is right for you.
 
Reach out and let’s chat about your goals and challenges. Then we can determine which leadership programming is right for you and the women on your direct report team.
 
Let’s get more women ready for next level roles!

Hi there!
I’m wondering, how has your 2021 been so far?
 
Do you know what steps will help advance your career goals this year?
And more importantly, are you confidently taking those steps?
 
I had the most amazing experience last week working with the women currently in the Women Managers Cohort programs. They were in their fourth session with me and learning how to create a Business Case.
 
They’d already been working on taking time for strategic thinking every week and linking their priorities directly to the strategy and vision of their organizations.
 
When they started using the Business Case tool during the session, they quickly got to the heart of an issue that had been bogging them down for quite some time. Before the end of the session they had clarity and a plan for how they would influence senior leaders that needed to understand the need for a different approach to cost cutting and new revenue generation.
 
It's so much fun to work with these bright, talented women and give them the tools for making a bigger difference in their organizations. By working together they gain the confidence to have the important conversations with executives. They solve problems at a faster rate and learn to lead change from a perspective that not only increases their own level of success, but the success of their organizations as well.
 
If you are a woman manager wanting to learn and grow in a network of smart, capable women, and build your confidence, join us for the next Cohort that kicks off on July 15th. 
 
If you are a leader with women managers on your team, encourage them to join the next Cohort.
 
I promise you it will propel you and your direct report managers to their next level of contribution.
 
Cohort participants give high marks to the strength of the network of women they find in their cohorts.  They have new colleagues with which to brainstorm and share with.
 
And you aren't alone on this journey. I'm sharing my 20+ years of experience coaching women leaders and you're learning with other motivated, positive, strong women leaders looking for the same results you are.
 
The Q3 Cohort kicks off on July 15th. To register and learn more follow this link:
 
https://www.wiseleader.net/women-managers-cohort.html
 
You can also download a PDF flier about the Cohort here

Please forward this to every woman in your organization and/or network who could benefit.
We need more women managers ready to move up. The Cohort is the fastest way to make that happen!
 
If you have questions about the Cohort, reach out. I'm always happy to chat with you.