Never to Fear

Mrs. Norman turned to me and said, “Michelle, you’ll lead the table.” A young, little first grader, and I was in charge of our reading assignment. I didn’t want to smile and show pride, but inside I was beaming. I straightened my shoulders and leaned in. 

I was taught to read aloud at a very young age. I have sweet memories of sitting on the carpet with my mom’s arm behind me; she leaned over my shoulder and helped me sound out the words while I held the book. This early guidance brought confidence that would only build from the time I could form sounds.

Being in front of “an audience” started pretty early for me, as well. The church I attended growing up allowed us to read part of the Scripture, and my school had liturgy as part of our weekly schedule. In fourth grade, I had a lead role in a little school play. During my first internship, I was afforded the chance to speak at a healthcare conference to present our evidence-based design research. It’s only in retrospect do I see the building blocks of opportunity that formed a critical foundation for something that appears easy.

Public speaking is instinctive. I enjoy it. I don’t have to prepare too much for it. But as you can see, it’s simply because I’ve been practicing this my entire life.

As an Executive Coach, the number one tangible thing I see when working with clients is the building up of their confidence. It’s a very precious and beautiful gift to watch. 

Since the majority of my client base and readership is in the category of senior or executive leadership, let’s take this time to remind ourselves of a few mentoring moments:

Eyes to See

• Look into the people you have and see what strengths could be cultivated and nurtured.
• Invite those leaders into opportunities to exhibit those strengths. Contrary to popular belief, many would like an invitation to respond to, rather than for that leader to push in and “show” they can do it.
• Help the leader see what they can’t see. When we’re too stuck on what isn’t working, we simply need another person to help us look up from our vantage point and see differently.

Grace to Give

• Making mistakes should be normalized. We hope to minimize the impact of those mistakes; however, we don’t learn when things go perfectly.
• Picture yourself at the earlier part of your career as the person you’re mentoring; it allows you to see the mentee with empathy.
• Encourage learning as a process. And be willing to be the teacher.

We might think about our strengths and always assume they’ve magically been there. But really, our innate gifting requires cultivation. And when we’re granted opportunities to develop the gifts we’ve been given, we can see how much they flourish.

Michelle Rademacher is an Executive Coach and Mentor focused on providing insights into the real-world challenges we all face daily. Please follow her on this platform and subscribe to this monthly newsletter to receive wisdom, inspiration, impartation, and practical tips to see success come forth in your life.