UNLEASHING CONFIDENCE AND CURIOSITY

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Self-confidence is one of the biggest challenges for many people in leadership roles. Too much or too little can be a significant hindrance to a leader’s development and effectiveness. For Amy, it was the latter of these that she struggled with, and she discovered that mentoring was the key. 

 

Amy works in Community and Economic Development at the Stratford District Council (SDC) and says she, “kind of fell into the role.” Initially seeking a marketing job, she soon discovered that she had a passion for supporting business owners and entrepreneurs. “I love this space,” she shares, “it’s what gives me energy. I love being able to help, share advice or learn from others’ stories. I never would have discovered that without this job, and the people I have met.” 

 

A STEEP LEARNING CURVE

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Even though Amy was loving her role, she soon found herself struggling with confidence. Prior to starting at SDC, Amy had worked for another company that didn’t provide the level of onboarding and capability support that she needed to do her role well. This contributed to a low perception of her self-worth, and without realising it at the time, Amy carried that into her role at SDC.  

 

It was a steep learning curve to understand some of the complexities of the new work environment and how to effectively relate to and engage with others from a broad spectrum of business and the community. While the job was rewarding, it was challenging to Amy’s already fragile confidence, meaning that within a couple of years, as Amy puts it, “I was not in a good place.”  

 

And this is when she found out about the Leadership Mentoring Programme and was encouraged to take part. Initially, she wasn’t sure. She says that “at the time, my immediate response was, but I’m not a leader. So, I didn’t think I had the skills to be able to do the programme.” However, after talking to the Programme Coordinator, Amy realised that she was already providing leadership within her role, but she had never thought about it that way before. This gave her the courage to sign up. 

 

THE WAY FORWARD 

 

Amy was matched with Michelle Jordan, an experienced leader in the private, public and community sector with a background in enterprise development. While Amy wasn’t 100% certain at the time what she wanted to focus on with her mentor, she quickly became certain that “Michelle was 100% the right mentor” for her.  

 

Amy shares that, “Michelle is an amazing woman, and I saw similarities in our paths both professionally and personally – there was so much I could learn from her. She understood where I was at and where I wanted to go, because she has been through it herself. In my opinion, we couldn’t have been better matched.” 

 

“I very quickly realised that my lack of confidence was a massive motivator for what I wanted to work on.” Amy continues, “I had engaged with Michelle professionally in the past and always admired her. Being able to also hear and learn about her story and her vulnerabilities helped me become aware of how my own journey wasn’t that different from hers. It helped me look more positively on myself, on what I could achieve, on who I was and who I could become.” 

 

Amy’s mentor had similar feelings. Michelle says “the match with Amy was a perfect fit. While I’d mentored businesses previously, this was my first time mentoring a person in a community focused programme. Amy and I knew each other from my previous work in regional development, and we found we also had common ground in many other areas, with the rapport building quickly.” 

 

“Sharing openly with Amy in response to the concerns she was voicing helped her build confidence in herself, her capability, and her potential. Potential and capability I could readily see, but Amy could not. The shift I’ve seen in Amy has given me great pleasure and was a great reminder to me that you never know when you’re going to have an impact, so pay attention.” 

 

DISCOVERING CONFIDENCE AND CURIOSITY

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So how did the mentoring help Amy? “It sounds ridiculous to say this, but it literally changed my life,” says Amy. “If you could look at me 18 months ago (before the mentoring) and compare it to me now, I’m a totally different person. I think it comes down to having someone who is just in your corner, removed from your organisation, who can see things differently to you, and is there solely for your development.” Without that, “I don’t think I would have the courage I do now. I don’t think I would believe in myself like I do now.” 

 

She says that “learning about my mentor’s challenges and coping strategies gave me new tools and courage to do new things,” like accepting a role as acting manager of her team. This is something she really enjoyed and learnt a lot from. She says she “never would have had the courage to do this previously.”  

 

This hasn’t gone unnoticed by others. Amy remarks, “my director has commented on how much I have grown since completing the mentoring programme, which was a huge compliment both for me, and to my mentor too.” This is because, “I clearly carry myself differently.” In practical terms, “I’m happy to walk into a room and have various conversations or lead different things that I wouldn’t have in the past.” Before, “I would walk into a room wondering to myself, why am I here? What can I bring? Because my confidence was so low, I couldn’t see what value I could bring to any table. This meant that in certain conversations, that were tricky, I couldn’t work through them.” 

 

But that’s all changed. Amy says that after working on her confidence and believing in herself and her capabilities this has enabled her to “have different conversations and seek out new opportunities.”  As a result, people are responding differently to her. “When you put yourself out there and are genuine with your intent, opportunities find their way to you. I’ve never experienced that before. I’m now in a place where I’m being asked to participate in events, which is so exciting. That’s massive for me, and something I have not taken for granted. I have gone through a massive personal shift after mentoring and can now recognise and take advantage of those opportunities.” 

 

Like speaking in front of people. Amy was recently asked to sit on a panel and speak about her leadership journey at a national conference. When asked if this was something she could have done before, her answer was “No way!” It was the first time she had ever done anything like that. She says, “I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get the words out of my mouth, but I did. Afterwards, I was really proud.” 

 

“I am still building my skillset, but I now know exactly where I am going. I’m no longer held back by my self-perception or by fear of failure. I’m now curious about where I can go. I’m curious about other people. I’m curious about what I can learn from them, and I have the confidence and knowhow to proactively pursue what I need to get me where I want to be. I never would have done that before.” 

 

“I’m grateful. I’m super grateful for the experience and to my mentor, Michelle.  I’ve learnt about what my strengths are, what gives me that spark and I have a clearer pathway for myself. I am so grateful for the relationship we have built and will take this experience with me wherever I go.”