Our CEO Kirsty Maynor was recently interviewed by award-winning leadership coach Gail Logan for an Instagram Live event. In the full live chat, which you can listen to here, Kirsty shares why you don't need self-belief before you 'take the leap', because it's waiting for you on the other side.

If you’re short on time, then read on for some of the highlights from their conversation. 

Self-belief: take the leap, it's on the other side!

With more than 25 years’ experience working as a Leadership Development Specialist and Change Strategist, Kirsty has been helping leaders to thrive through change at an organisational and individual level for most of her career. 

Self-belief is core to Kirsty’s work, and experience has shown her time and time again that there’s no point in waiting until we have enough self-belief to make a change. In fact, it’s usually waiting for us on the other side, after you’ve taken that leap. 

Confidence and self-belief haven’t always come easily to Kirsty. People tend to assume that because she spends her professional life working with CEOs and C-suite execs from FTSE 100 companies, her self-confidence is rock solid, but that’s not always the case. Like anyone, she experiences self-doubt. But, she says, “the important thing is whether you let that stop you in your tracks, or whether you use it as fuel to keep you moving towards your goals.” 

Face the fear

As a facilitator of Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead programme, Kirsty teaches her clients the importance of facing fears with courage. For Kirsty, that means recognising the fear, but walking towards it instead of running away. Fear is uncomfortable for everyone, but in order to move forwards we need to be able to get comfortable with the discomfort. When we do, we’re able to be more brave, more daring and more courageous in our actions. 

Many of us mistakenly believe that given enough time, we’ll arrive at a point where we’re not scared anymore, that we’ll be more confident. But that’s not the case: there are always things which create fear in our lives and it’s impossible to conquer it entirely. Unless, that is, you’re happy living within your comfort zone - and many people are! But if you want to develop, evolve, and create change in your life, then that means stepping into the unknown, which might be scary, but it’s exciting too.

Improving self-belief and creating possibilities

Unfortunately, most of us don’t have a stockpile of self-belief ready to draw on when we need it. We gather it as we go. Think of yourself as a snowball at the top of a hill: as you roll down the hill, learning and taking on new experiences as you go, you expand and fill a bigger space. The snowball gets bigger as your confidence and your self-belief expand with you on your journey.

Similarly, when we undertake new challenges, we’re expanding the circle - or snowball - of what we know we’re capable of. And every time you create a change and expand that circle, you’re creating more possibilities for yourself. The same is true in leadership: each time you take on a new remit, or responsibility, or lead an organisation through change when you haven’t before - you’re expanding what’s possible for you the next time. But the self belief is waiting for you at the end, it’s not there for you before you start. 

When in doubt, borrow someone else’s belief in you

Very few people have rock solid, unshakeable self-belief, but most people have someone else that believes in them. If you’re struggling to believe in yourself, or you don’t have the reserves to face into things that scare you, borrow that belief from someone else: a trusted friend, mentor, client, colleague, your children or a loved one. Nobody has self belief 100% of the time, so borrow it if you need to. 

Top tip for creating change: just start!

Sometimes creating change requires a giant leap, but not always! In fact, baby steps can be an equally - if not more - effective way to create change in your life. The most important thing is to keep moving in the direction you want to go - you can even crawl if you have to! Just point yourself in the direction of the change you want to create, and start moving.

Untangled and its companion journal are out now

Untangled, a practical and inspirational guide to change you choose and change you don’t, packages up Kirsty’s 25+ years’ experience as a leadership coach and change strategist. Designed to help readers with any kind of change they’re facing, it’s full of tools, tips and resources to help you manage change, both personally and on an organisational level. 

Untangled and its companion journal are available now online and in all good bookshops.