In sales, confidence is the number one factor in success.  Someone who is confident will make more sales than one who has less.  As a leadership trainer for two years now, I have observed that a lack of communicating confidence is one of the key challenges holding women back from advancing in their careers.  It is not that women are not confident in their abilities, it is more about not wanting to appear arrogant or be seen as bragging by senior managers and peers.  In fact, I attended a ASIS Women in Security networking event in NYC last week, and this topic was one of the most dominant in our conversation. 

How do we own our confidence and work performance without feeling like we are being viewed as a narcissist by colleagues?

Well, to start, clarity of goals is absolutely critical.  You need to know what is your end game (a vision for your life in both personal and professional terms). What is your ideal career aspiration?  What is your ideal role, title, or position?

Next, you need to determine and be conscious of your values to think about how your values are honored in your professional and personal activities.  You may find that your ideal career goal presents a conflict with one of your values; increasing awareness of this conflict will enable you to change the situation or accept the conflict temporarily. 

Next, you want to identify your top 3 strengths/talents.  Doing so allows you to consciously acknowledge how you are unique and provides the foundation for owning your greatness and performance. 

After this, you want to create a mission statement .  I like to call it a Leadership Mission; it integrats your values, professional goal(s), strengths/talents, and the impact you would like to have on the community.  It also serves as a compass to help you determine whether or not a potential career opportunity is the right next step for you on your way to attaining your ideal goal.   See mine below. 

My leadership mission as a <span style="text-decoration: underline;">leadership trainer</span> [my ideal position] is to use my adaptable arranger, maximizer, and connector talents [my top 3 strengths] in order to increase confidence and performance of women in the security industry, to enhance protection of the populations we serve [community impact] and to enjoy autonomy, service and greater diversity[values] for a more equitable world.   

The value of the leadership mission is that it is one statement that represents who you are.  Because your talents are a key component, it enables you to start from a positive mindset and confidence.  I have found it particularly useful when I am nervous, anxious, or doubting myself, and I read it to reorient my mindset to remember why I do what I do.

The <a title="CSO Leader Launch program" href="http://csoleadershiptraining.com/training-products/">CSO Leader Launch</a> program includes tools to bring alignment to your values, career, personal time, and desired community impact.  Check out <a title="CSO Client Feedback" href="http://csoleadershiptraining.com/testimonials/">the feedback </a>from using these tools.

Have questions or thoughts?  Let's talk.  Leave a comment below or email me at <a href="mailto:Natalie@CSOLeadershipTraining.com">Natalie@CSOLeadershipTraining.com</a> to set up a time.

Looking forward to connecting.