What to do if you’re feeling undermined

When was the last time you felt undermined as a leader? What was the cause? Do you remember how it felt?

Being undermined can leave us embarrassed, frustrated or even questioning our abilities – it’s not a nice place to be.

Our research shows that being undermined by others is the most common cause of leaders losing their sense of confidence.

But it isn’t always others who undermine us.

We can be guilty of getting lost in our own self-created story, manufacturing problems that never actually occur; we end up unable to step back and see the complete picture. We cause ourselves unnecessary stress and pressure. And let’s face it, there’s enough of that for real without creating it too.

The next time you feel undermined, I encourage you to speak to trusted peers or your coach and get their perspective; how do they interpret the situation? You may be surprised just how skewed your perspective has been.

And, if it turns out that you were being undermined on purpose (as the old saying goes, just because you’re paranoid, it doesn’t mean people aren’t out to get you 😊), a different perspective can help you plan how to deal with it before it undermines your confidence even more.

Dealing with people who undermine us is one of the six core modules in my signature programme, “The Fastest Route to Director-Level Confidence so You Can Lead and Influence Without Being Undermined”. Next week, we will be exploring another confidence-boosting module: it’s all about creating boundaries.

If you’d like to explore these topics in more detail and gain valuable peer support from a trusted group of fellow Directors while thriving through 1:1 coaching sessions, contact me for a complementary call.

And, as always, observe yourself and others with interest and learning, not with criticism and judgement.