As Coaching Psychologists working with Leaders, one area that comes up regularly is the need to be more assertive, more influential, more impressive in front of seniors.  We hear many reasons, or 'excuses' for why someone struggles to speak up in senior meetings.  It sounds harsh to call these reasons 'excuses' but as they are reasons to justify why they don't do something very well, they are excuses. 

A very common one is 'I'm an introvert' so I don't like being centre of attention.  As coaching psychologists we aim to challenge these 'excuses' as they represent unhelpful thinking that is holding the leader back from being effective in their role.  

So, to conclude, a way to build your confidence is to work with a coaching psychologist to challenge the unhelpful labels you apply to yourself and come up with some alternative statements that can support more helpful emotions and more effective leadership behaviours.