Your Inner Leader

We explored the concept of our inner critics in our last article together. Now, we get to visit with my all-time favorite leadership secret power and get to know our inner leader.

So, what am I talking about when I say, “your inner leader?”

Some call this our intuition, our gut instinct, our sixth-sense, or maybe even a higher being. There are touches of the spiritual in this concept of our inner leader. And when we are in full alignment and resonance with our own inner leaders, the experience can feel powerful and even spiritual.

The opposite of our inner critic, our inner leader is the knowing, wise voice and space inside of us that is the voice of love, compassion, kindness, and belief in us. We all have this inner leader within ourselves.

So how do we get in touch with this inner knowing and leader within us, when we need it most in our lives and careers as physicians and leaders?

Think about a time when you mustered up the courage, chutzpah, and strength to do something that was scary but felt right -- and did it anyways. What did that experience feel like? Revisit the situation, what was going on in your life at the time, and how you were feeling. Really step into yourself in that moment and reimagine and envision what sensations you were feeling in your body, what your emotions were, and where this feeling was in your body. You can even sit or stand in the same posture that you were at that moment in time. We spend so much time in our heads, and often forget that we have an entire body attached to us below! There is tremendous somatic wisdom in our bodies – our bodies don’t lie. So really inhabit the feeling of that courageous, powerful but scary moment in time. This is the feeling of stepping into your own inner leader.

Our inner leaders can also be more subtle, softer, and quieter – in fact, they usually are, especially in comparison to our inner critics who can often be loud, harsh and dominate our inner thoughts and emotions. To really get in touch with our inner leaders, we must slow down, turn down the dial on our inner critics, get out of our heads, and get in touch with that inner space between our thoughts and emotions where our greatest power lies.

Tara Mohr, the author of Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create, and Lead shares a visualization based on the “Future Self” visualization from The Co-Active Training Institute, where we both received our professional coaching certification. In this “Inner Mentor” visualization, she takes readers on a journey to visit their future selves 20 years into the future. This is an incredibly powerful metaphor for who we want to become in our lives. 20 years from now, who is it you want to be? What wisdom does this older self have for you? The visualization in Tara Mohr’s book is one of the most powerful out there to help women step into their most authentic versions of who they are. I recommend this chapter in the book to every single one of my clients and to all my women physician friends. I truly believe Playing Big should be required reading for ALL women and girls.

So imagine yourself 20 years into the future. Who is this woman? What wisdom does she hold for you? When faced with a challenging situation or decision, what would she do? What wisdom would she share with you?

This is our inner leader. This place of inner knowing and leadership, who is brave, courageous, and bold in a way that is most aligned with the deepest and most authentic part of who you are. This is who we want to be as leaders.

So, the next time you notice the voice of our inner critic, pause. Close your eyes. Take three deep breaths. And imagine yourself stepping into your own inner leader. Notice what your inner leader says, especially in response to what your inner critic is saying. Notice the difference in what they are both saying to you. Know, that your inner leader is always most aligned with the deepest part of who you are as a human being, and as a leader.

I challenge you to step into your own inner leader, every single day. Channel her before you walk into a room, log into a virtual meeting, or walk from the parking lot to your office in the morning. This is who I want you to be as a leader – strong, brave, and completely authentic to you and only you. No one can tell you who to be as a leader, or what a great leader is –because only you can define this for yourself. To me, the “how to” part of how to lead as a woman physician is to empower you to define what YOUR leadership looks like for you. I can’t do this for you. I’m here to help you, guide you, and support you as you explore who it is you truly want to be as a leader, every step of the way.

When you show up from this place of inner leadership, of fulling inhabiting this most powerful and authentic part of your inner being, you are a force of nature. You are unstoppable.

Your Assignment:

Think about that time when you reached deep inside yourself and showed up as the brave and most authentic you. Journal about this experience, how it felt, what your thoughts were, and what the experience was like for you.

Check out Tara Mohr’s book, Playing Big. Read chapter 2 of the book, “The Voice of Inner Wisdom."

For the next seven days when you wake up in the morning, really think about and inhabit the space of your inner leader. Channel her as you go through your day. Then at the end of day, journal for 10 minutes about what it was like to inhabit her space that day. How did she help you align with your core values and your Why?

Email me at info@tammiechangmd.com with questions, any time. I am here for you friend…!

Tammie