As a leader, do you fully recognize and own your gifts? How can you leverage what you’re best at if you don’t really know what that it?
Some of the best gifts and insights emerge in day- to -day conversation with our colleagues. At a recent leadership session, we were talking about confidence. One woman shared that she had learned no matter what others might find wrong, criticize or critique about her; she always returns to the “little red bag of gifts” she carries close to her heart. In that little red bag are her talents, skills and unique abilities that she knows make her valuable and effective. I watched the room while she shared this and I saw each leadership participant visibly respond with nods of acknowledgement.
As women, it’s been confirmed by significant research that we are culturally ingrained to minimize our talents. While men at times often think too highly of their gifts and talents, women actually underestimate their gifts, talents and abilities. Women in leadership roles can be overly concerned about being viewed as arrogant or “not nice”. This is a mistake. Recently, I shared with a coaching client that humility is simply “ to have an accurate assessment of ourselves; no more and no less”. We are all flawed; AND we are all brilliantly, wonderfully and beautifully made.
So my coaching question for each of us is? Do you know what’s in your “little red bag of gifts” and abilities? Can you name them? And more importantly, do you own them? It would be less than humble not to!