Yesterday I had the privilege of talking to a small group of relational leaders and change makers at PowHERhouse, and one of the themes we discussed was fear.
In the room were a doctor of psychology, 3 senior directors, a CEO, social impacters, coaches, writers, and artists.
Talking about fear with one of the participants, I noticed what she was really afraid of, and I asked the group “Who else here is afraid of owning their own genius?”
Almost all the hands went up.
I have something exciting to offer you, but before I do I want to explain why your feelings that you don’t know what you’re doing, or that you’re going to get caught out, are actually a direct indication that you ARE a genius, and if you didn’t have those feelings, you’re likely at the summit of mount stupid!
Read on to find out more, or scroll down to get to the juice!
I’ve been thinking about that conversation we had about owning your genius, and how endemic it is among leaders to feel like they have no idea what they are doing, to look in the mirror and wonder if today is the day they get caught out, or to simply diminish their brilliance because at some point they learned it was too much.
It’s called the Dunning-Kruger effect, and it’s the reason why the dumbest people seem to shout the loudest.
Here’s a very simplified diagram of the D-K effect:
You see, the less you know about something, the less you know you DON’T know. This is why those with very little knowledge about a subject have the most confidence – hence the somewhat sensationalist label, Mount Stupid
And conversely, as you learn more about the topic, you dive into the valley of despair as you realise how much there is that you don’t know.
Further learning will increase your confidence, but you can never reach the blissful heights of Mount Stupid.
As Socrates, one of the greatest thinkers to have ever lived, said: “All I know is that I know nothing”
So it’s a paradox, but the more afraid you are to own your genius, the more you probably should.
Because the more we learn, the more we study, the more power and impact and possibility that we hold for our clients, customers, subscribers, friends, families and the world at large, the more we doubt ourselves and our abilities.
It’s one of the cruel realities of being a genius, but I hope in reading this, you know you’re not alone.
I was inspired by this group of leaders, inspired to do something I’ve never done before.
I’ve cleared my Monday, and am offering a handful of 30 minute ‘obstacles to opportunities’ calls, at no charge.
Book your call HERE: https://go.altitudeevolution.com/opportunity-5957
This session is for you if:
You are a leader ready to elevate your impact
You have trouble of owning your own genius
You look in the mirror each day and wonder when you’re going to get caught out.
You know that you have more to offer
You’re feeling stuck, afraid, or small
It’s not for you if:
You’re content to play small You don’t want to stand out and be heard You’re not excited about having your thinking challenged and engaging your genius You are not committed to becoming the most powerful version of yourself
In this call, we will get to the heart of what you are really afraid of, and you’ll come away knowing how to use that fear to your advantage.
Because everything you want is on the other side of your fear.
Your fear is a signpost to what is really, REALLY important to you.
Tina O, CEO of PowHERhouse, says:
“Tom holds an incredibly brave space for critical truths to be made known. He has this uncanny way of speaking directly to the resistance inside of you and kindly asking it to step into the light to be seen, heard and dissolved. As a coach who encourages truthfulness as a brave medicine to fear, working with Tom is a practice of expansion and bravery. Book the call, you won’t regret it!”
Once these sessions are gone, they are gone. So book yours now and let’s make magic happen!