From Self-Doubt to Superstar: The Secret to Developing a Strong Leadership Presence

Confidence and leadership presence are not just nice-to-have qualities for women in leadership positions. They are non-negotiable elements that can make or break your success in any aspect of your life. When you exude confidence, you radiate power, reduce stress, and achieve better results.

Unfortunately, despite your accomplishments, expertise, and qualifications, as a woman in a leadership position, you most likely suffer from imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and feelings of inadequacy. These destructive emotions chip away at your self-esteem, hold you back from reaching your full potential and make you feel like you don’t belong in your role.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. In this blog post, we will show you how to transform from self-doubt to superstar using iPEC’s Energy Levels. These seven energy levels are a game-changing framework that empowers you to understand your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and create positive changes in your life.

Understanding The 7 Levels of Energy

During a typical workday, it’s easy to fall into the trap of focusing on what’s wrong with our jobs, projects, colleagues, and relationships. Unfortunately, this negativity can lead to dissatisfaction and even the desire to quit. But there is a constructive counterpart, a stream of creative and positive thinking that produces questions like “What’s right?” and “What’s the opportunity here?”

To shift the pressure and negativity in corporate America, our personal lives, and our communities, we need inspiring leaders who understand the power of energy. By tapping into iPEC’s Energy Levels, you can be this leader and develop the skills and versatility to lead confidently and positively.

Two Streams of Leadership

Now, let’s dive into the concept of energy and how it relates to your leadership presence. As Albert Einstein famously stated, everything we see, hear, taste, touch, and smell is not matter but energy. Everything that “matters” is energy. This means that your thoughts, emotions, and actions are all forms of energy that impact your leadership presence.

On an energetic and cellular level, catabolism refers to destructive forces, while anabolism refers to constructive forces. When you hear about someone’s catabolic or anabolic energy, it’s a broader statement about their overall level of positivity and negativity.

In organizations, both anabolic and catabolic energy is present. Unfortunately, many organizations experience catabolic energy by reacting to their circumstances with worry, fear, doubt, anger, and guilt. These negative thoughts and beliefs are contagious and can quickly spread throughout the organization, leading to groupthink and a toxic work environment.

As a leader, it’s crucial to recognize that your thoughts and actions set the tone for your organization. If you approach challenges with a catabolic mindset, your team will likely follow suit. However, if you lead with an anabolic mindset and focus on constructive solutions, your team will feel inspired and motivated.

By understanding the concept of energy and its impact on your leadership presence, you can learn to shift your mindset from catabolic to anabolic. With iPEC’s Energy Levels, you’ll have the tools to recognize when you’re operating from a place of negativity and shift your energy to a more positive and productive state.

Remember, as a leader, your thoughts, feelings, and actions are contagious. Leading with an anabolic mindset can inspire positivity and productivity in your team and create a thriving work environment. So let’s get started on the journey from self-doubt to superstar by harnessing the power of energy and developing a strong leadership presence!

7 Steps from Self-Doubt to Superstar

Energy Level 1: Hopelessness and its Impact on Confidence

The first energy level we will explore is the lowest and is associated with feelings of helplessness and apathy. You might have experienced this when you felt like you wanted to hide in a corner and do nothing. This energy is often characterized by negative self-talk and focusing on what is wrong rather than possible.

As a leader, you may have found yourself in this mindset when you thought, “I can’t do anything about this. It’s hopeless. What’s the point anyway? There is nothing I/we can do. Why me/us?” These thoughts can quickly drain your confidence and make it difficult to take action and move forward.

In the workplace, this energy can manifest as a lack of motivation and engagement among team members and a sense of hopelessness and despair about the organization’s future. Leaders who operate from this energy level often struggle to inspire their team and create a positive work environment.

Your confidence level is very low, with high stress levels and feelings of doubt and fear. It’s not uncommon to associate your worth with the outcome of your performance and the results you achieve at work and in your home.

Energy Level 2: Anger and Shifting from Blaming to Taking Responsibility

The second level has much more energy than the first, but it is often associated with feelings of anger and frustration. When you blame someone else or the world for your results, you are likely looking at life through the lens of anger and blame.

As a leader, you might have experienced this perspective when thinking things like, “It’s their fault. I’m so angry at them for doing this to us/me. It’s a dog-eat-dog world. If I win, they lose. It’s a zero-sum game. Why can’t others do their work properly?” These are just a few examples of the anger viewpoint.

In the workplace, the anger perspective can manifest in several ways, including micromanagement, lack of trust in employees, and a focus on blame and punishment rather than problem-solving and growth.

Similarly to level 1, people who see the world through level 2 thinking also associate their worth with the outcome of their performance and the results they achieve at work and in their homes. Although people might seem confident, their confidence level is actually low. They only exhibit false bravado, which masks the underlying feelings of inadequacy.

Energy Level 3: Responsibility as a Stepping Stone to Leadership Presence

The third energy level you can tap into is all about responsibility. This is where you take responsibility for your thoughts, feelings, and actions. It’s about recognizing that you have control over your life and can make positive changes. As a leader, you might have thought, “How can I improve this? It is my responsibility to do this. I have control over moving this forward. I can do this.” These are all examples of the life perspective of responsibility.

This perspective is key to building confidence and achieving success. By taking responsibility for your actions, you empower yourself to make positive changes in your life and in the workplace. Instead of blaming others, you focus on what you can do to improve the situation. This leads to a sense of control and purpose, boosting confidence.

This is the first anabolic energy level that still has a lot of unresolved catabolic thoughts and feelings. This is why your confidence is only low to moderate. You have strong coping mechanisms that help you feel confident despite undesired outcomes.

Energy Level 4: Care on the Path to Confidence

The fourth level has even more energy toward yourself and others. This is the perspective of care. If you have experienced this perspective, you know what it is to look at life through this lens:

• Taking care of your wellbeing
• Helping others
• Serving others
• Wondering how you can serve and help others

This perspective is very service-oriented and can positively impact your confidence. When you prioritize the care of others, you build trust, respect, and admiration. It also helps you focus on what you can control and contribute to the world, enhancing your sense of purpose and fulfillment.

With a perspective on care and compassion, your confidence at this level is moderate. You get to see the good in any situation and thus feel confident despite undesired outcomes.

Energy Level 5: Opportunities are all Around You

The fifth energy level is all about opportunity and empowerment, and it can greatly impact your confidence. This is a perspective that many successful leaders use regularly. Looking through the lens of opportunity, you might think things like, “How can we improve this? What are the possibilities here? How can I empower my team to achieve our goals?” This perspective is associated with feelings of confidence, empowerment, fulfillment, and peace.

In the workplace, this perspective can manifest in leaders constantly looking for ways to improve their company, empowering their employees to achieve their goals, and believing that everyone can succeed together.

At this energy level, your confidence moves from moderate to high. You still feel confident despite undesired outcomes. However, you start to see opportunities in whatever happens and feel calm and curious.

Energy Level 6: Connect to Radiate Confidence

The sixth energy level is the one of connection. This is the view that we are all one. It has a very high energy level and can be recognized through some of the following thoughts or feelings: “I feel a deep connection with the people around me. I believe that we all have a purpose and a role to play. I am grateful for all experiences, even the challenging ones because they contribute to my growth and development.”

This perspective allows you to see the bigger picture and appreciate the interconnectedness of all things. It is a place of inspiration, intuition, and creativity where you can tap into your inner wisdom and connect with others on a deeper level. This perspective can be particularly beneficial in the workplace, leading to innovative ideas, collaborative relationships, and a sense of purpose and fulfillment.

This level is associated with high confidence since how you feel and whether you exhibit confidence is mostly unrelated to the outcomes of your work.

Energy Level 7: Consciously Creating Your Experience with Passion

The seventh energy level is the one of absolute passion, which is the most energetically powerful of all. It allows you to see the world through a lens of objective thinking, non-judgment, and fearlessness. This viewpoint acknowledges that life is a game to be played, and there is no winning or losing. It is also a place for creating brilliant ideas out of nothing.

Tapping into this perspective can give you the ultimate sense of confidence and power. You become unstoppable, and you can create anything you want. Using this life energy can be incredibly valuable, especially in the workplace. It allows you to think outside the box, take risks, and create new and innovative solutions.

This is the highest possible level of confidence you can have. At level 7, your sense of confidence is completely independent of the outcomes.

Building Leadership Presence

So, how do you build leadership presence and increase your confidence? How do you move from self-doubt to superstar?

Here are four tips for developing a strong leadership presence.

Tip 1: Increase Your Energy Level

The best way to build your leadership presence and increase your confidence is to increase your overall energy level. As you read above, the seven energy levels are correlated to your confidence level. The more anabolic energy level you have, the higher your confidence is.

Try incorporating daily practices such as meditation, exercise, and positive affirmations to increase your energy level. Surround yourself with supportive and uplifting individuals and seek out inspiring resources such as motivational books or podcasts.

Becoming active and involved in a visionary community or professional organization such as our #LeadingAuthentically community can also provide valuable networking opportunities and support. Remember that building your leadership presence is a journey and takes intentional effort. With consistent practice and a growth mindset, you can overcome self-doubt and become a superstar leader – one level at a time.

Tip 2: Remember All Your Successes

It’s important to recognize and acknowledge your successes. It’s easy to downplay your achievements and focus on what you haven’t accomplished yet. But shifting your mindset to focus on your successes can greatly impact your confidence level.

Take time to reflect on your accomplishments, no matter how small they seem. Write them down and revisit them regularly to remind yourself of your capabilities.

In addition, try reframing your self-talk to focus on your strengths and what you can do rather than what you can’t. This can help you approach challenges with a more positive and confident mindset.

Building your confidence is an ongoing process, and it’s important to celebrate your successes along the way. By recognizing your past achievements and focusing on your strengths, you can transfer that confidence to new areas of your work and life, even if you don’t have prior experience in those areas.

Tip 3: Build Resilience

Resilience is critical for leaders, as setbacks and challenges are inevitable. It’s closely linked with high energy levels, confidence, and the ability to recover from setbacks and bounce back stronger.

To develop resilience, recognize that setbacks are an opportunity to learn and grow. Use iPEC’s seven levels of energy to guide your response to these situations, focusing on positive self-talk and choosing to view the situation as a challenge to overcome rather than a failure.

Another way to build resilience is to develop a growth mindset. This means seeing setbacks as opportunities for growth and improvement rather than fixed limitations on your abilities. Take time to reflect on past challenges and how you overcame them, and use those experiences to build confidence in your ability to handle future challenges.

Finally, surround yourself with a supportive network of mentors, peers, and friends who can offer encouragement and guidance during difficult times. Building a strong support system can help you stay motivated and focused on your goals, even when faced with setbacks and challenges. Setbacks might be an inevitable part of any leadership journey, but with the right mindset and support, you can develop the resilience you need to overcome them and thrive as a confident and successful leader.

Tip 4: Switch to Mastery Orientation

As a leader, adopting a mastery orientation mindset can help you continually improve and move closer to very high levels of confidence, regardless of outcomes or results. It allows you to recognize that every experience, whether it leads to success or failure, provides an opportunity for learning and growth. With this mindset, you maintain a positive attitude, high energy, and confidence, knowing you are constantly improving and moving forward.

To develop a mastery orientation mindset, focus on the process rather than the outcome. Rather than fixating on whether you achieved your goal, reflect on what you learned and how you can improve for next time. Embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and development, and don’t be afraid to take risks and try new things.

Failure is not a reflection of your worth or abilities as a leader. Instead, view it as a valuable experience that can help you improve and move closer to mastery. With a mastery orientation mindset, you can confidently approach every situation, knowing that you have the skills and abilities to learn and grow from any experience.

Overcoming Common Obstacles to Confidence

Like everything else in life, while building your confidence, you will encounter obstacles on your way. Take the time to prepare for them in advance to be ready when they occur.

6 Confidence Blockers

1. Questioning whether what you do is right. This can happen when your values conflict with what you are supposed to do. For example, your manager has to prepare a presentation for the board meeting the next morning. He is not ready and asks you to stay late and help him finish the work. But it’s your husband’s birthday, and you value family time, especially the special occasions you are together. What do you do?
2. Stretching yourself too thin. This one probably doesn’t need a description. As a woman in leadership, you are probably experiencing this daily or weekly. Trying to balance the demands of work, home, and society can leave you feeling overwhelmed and drained and can decrease your confidence levels.
3. Getting your buttons pushed. This happens when someone says or does something, and you make an interpretation that upsets you. For example, you enter the meeting room where two other VPs are chatting animatedly. As you enter the room, they stop conversing, greet you with smiles, and start checking their phones. You immediately conclude they were talking about you and become defensive or abrasive.
4. Feeling too tired. This one is probably obvious as well. How you feel physically can and will impact your energy level and, thus, your confidence and leadership presence.
5. Working with catabolic people. Who you work with and, in general, surround yourself with matters. A lot. And when people around you are catabolic, this can leave you feeling drained and unable to tap into higher levels of energy and confidence.
6. Being in an unpleasant environment. This can happen when your environment is not optimal – too much or too little lightning, noise, heat, cold, etc. Picture this. You are about to present the latest report to a group of directors. It’s the middle of the summer, and the AC is blowing cold. The setting is so low that you feel cold and start to shiver. How can you feel confident in a situation like this?

Clara’s Story

Meet Clara, a client of mine who was struggling with her confidence. But after learning about iPEC’s energy levels, she transformed into a confident leader who’s in control of her presence. She even downloaded the SCOPE app to measure her energy level and pinpoint the factors impacting it.

With the energy levels as her guide, Clara was able to choose how to show up in important meetings and events, taking time to center herself and be present. And the best part? She was able to use this newfound knowledge and confidence at home with her daughter, calming her down and increasing their energy and confidence together.

It’s amazing what a little understanding and focus on our energy levels can do for us. Imagine being able to tackle any challenge with ease and confidence, both at work and at home. With the energy levels, you can do just that. Take control of your presence and become the leader you were meant to be.

Elevating Your Leadership Presence

As a woman in leadership, you can transform self-doubt into superstar confidence. You now have a powerful tool to play the levels game and increase your energy and confidence levels with iPEC’s Energy Levels framework.

Confidence is not something external that happens to you but an internal capability that you can create. You can choose to handle any situation and learn and grow from it. By tapping into higher levels of energy and feelings of success, power, and calm, you can create any experience you desire both at work and in life.

So take charge of your energy levels and create a strong leadership presence that inspires and motivates those around you. Download the SCOPE App today and start your journey towards becoming the confident superstar leader you were always meant to be!