A Coaching Model By Kate Glover, Corporate/Leadership Coach, AUSTRALIA
Seeds of Confidence
Confidence is feeling sure about your own capabilities, qualities, and ideas. Confidence is an attractive trait that can increase a person’s happiness and fosters a feeling of inner trust and self-belief. When confidence is projected by a leader it helps the leader make a great first impression, deal with pressure, overcome challenges and it helps to put others at ease. Doubt on the other hand can be an insidious villain and wreak havoc with a leader’s confidence. Doubt at its worst can be paralyzing and crippling for anyone in a leadership role. Even the most confident leaders can have periods of time where they doubt themselves, their capability, and their contribution.
Doubt may show up for a variety of reasons. It may appear that the leader is required to undertake work that they are not familiar with. Doubt may show up when a leader is promoted to a new position (imposter syndrome) or if a leader missed out on a promotion. Doubt may appear during a period of conflict with a peer, lack of organizational clarity, misalignment of values, and emotional stress. When doubt creeps into a leader’s thoughts they may be afraid to discover new opportunities and possibilities and instead choose to shelter and hide in their thoughts of doubt.
The sunflower represents confidence and when you sow the seeds of confidence this is what can grow and be achieved.
Dare to Discover | Seeds of Confidence Coaching Model
Dare to Discover | Seeds of Confidence is a model designed to support the leader from sowing seeds of doubt to sowing seeds of confidence. This model supports them to cultivate confidence in their capabilities so that they can learn more about themselves and move towards a place of confidence whilst managing any seeds of doubt that creep into their thoughts.
Whilst the model is focused on growing confidence, this model can be used more broadly across many different situations and is a successful way to support a leader in overcoming any limiting belief/s. This model enables the leader to see the world in a way that brings light, positivity, joy, energy, possibilities, improved working relationships, and improved job satisfaction. The model takes the leader on a process of positive discovery to understand how to move from a place of self-doubt to a place of confidence. It allows the leader to be creative, curious, and open to a new perspective. They will discover that they are in charge, they have choices and through personal accountability, they will achieve confidence.
The model carefully guides the leader through a series of positive steps which help the leader to explore and discover their why, their values, their vision, acknowledge their strengths, and discover opportunities, and ways to cultivate growth enabling them to sow the seeds for confidence to thrive. This process provides the leader with a safe space to create awareness and understanding to help them identify positive patterns of thinking and find creative solutions. This model moves them from a fearful place of doubt to a beautiful place of strength, happiness, and confidence.
Session Model – Dare to Discover | Seeds of Confidence
- Set out the confidence challenge. Explore the challenge.
The coach invites the leader to discuss the confidence challenge. The leader is always in control and chooses the topic to discuss.
- Sink into the leader’s ‘why’.
The coach invites the leader to discuss what makes this confidence challenge so important to them. Understanding the why is a key piece of the puzzle for the coach in knowing how to support the leader through the process of discovery.
- Specify and describe the leader’s values
Misalignment of values can sometimes be the reason for a leader’s lack of confidence. Understanding the leader’s values can shine a light on the gap between the current situation versus their values.
- See and dream of a future with confidence.
This step is important because it serves as the goal. For the coach in supporting the leader, this proves to be the anchor point to which the coach can keep coming back too should the leader lose sight of the goal during the session. It provides the platform for the leader to visualize what they want to achieve.
- Single out and Identify strengths
Focussing on the leader’s strengths rather than weaknesses is a strategy that motivates and promotes growth. If the discussion focussed only on the leader’s weaknesses this would reinforce the seeds of doubt, thoughts, behaviors, and actions. A strength-based discussion assists the leader to find creative solutions and utilizing what they are naturally gifted at. The utilization of strengths supports the development of new skills and invites opportunity.
- Seek out and define all available opportunities
Having explored the challenge, the why, the values, the vision, and the strengths the leader can use all of the discovery information as a springboard from which to choose and consider untapped opportunities. The leader is supported to think openly and creatively, they are in control and driving the direction to discover new opportunities and possibilities.
- Select and design learning and growth
Understanding the viable opportunities, allows the leader to design their learning and select the pathways for building confidence. At this step, the coach needs to always keep the leader’s vision and goal in mind, and where appropriate the coach may need to refocus and remind the leader of their vision and goals. And keep coming back to the goal if needs be.
- Success Measures: Sow the seeds of confidence through action
This is where the leader chooses a variety of ways to be personally accountable. This step enables the leader to grow and move towards their confidence goal. This is a very important step and without this step, there is no accountability and action for continued, sustained, and successful growth.
Sow and Grow the Seeds for Confidence
Having confidence as a leader is so satisfying and from time to time, we all have self-doubt which can erode a leader’s ability to perform and feel satisfied. This model supports a leader to explore and recognize what skills and capabilities they have and then use those to create opportunities to sow and grow the seeds for confidence.
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