Session 5.2: Bozoma Saint John #2

10/10/2020

Listen to Your Inner Voice

Bozoma advises leaders to lean on their guts in their decision-making. In her experience making decisions in the spotlight, she’s learned to really depend on and trust her inner voice. “When you are trying to make a decision, or you’re trying to pivot, or you’re trying to evolve, the best advice is your own,” she explains. Seek counsel from mentors, parents or friends, but at the end of the day, it’s all about what you want to do.

"The best counsel is your own" ... Do you agree with her?
How do we balance the mentor-ship and counsel of others with ownership and responsibility of our actions?

In the beginning of the video Bozoma mentions that she calls herself a bad-ass often. She's kind of her own 'hype-man".

Do you ever hype yourself up or give yourself a pep-talk?
What role does your inner voice play to boost confidence and courage in times of disruption?

Kyle Evatt

10/12/2020 09:58:33 am

I do not agree that the best counsel is your always your own. I believe that successful leaders make a conscious effort to surround themselves with others that they trust. You do not always need to be the smartest person in the room.

The bottom line in decision making is that we make the choice of which actions to make. If someone points you in a direction for a decision, it is still you who makes that final choice and the blame should not be placed on others if things do not play out as planned.

My inner voice plays a significant role in hyping myself up and boosting my confidence. It is easy to sit back and focus on keeping your head down and not going outside of your lane. It is normal to tell yourself that you can perform tasks that take you out of your comfort zone. Allow yourself to believe that you can be successful being willing to step out of your lane and changing the focus.

Kelsea Lowery

10/12/2020 12:26:50 pm

I am on the fence about "the best counsel is your own". I think that when you are making personal decisions, then yes, the best counsel is your own, but if you are making a decision in a workplace for your team, they should also be involved. If it is something that affects more than just you, then your counsel or opinion isn't the only one that needs to be taken into consideration.
People often think that I'm this super confident person when they meet me from the "vibe" I give, but in reality, I'm really not and it has taken me a lot of years to build this confidence up. My inner voice has played a huge role in that.

Stephanie Bolton

10/12/2020 03:51:09 pm

I strongly believe in hyping yourself up. Nobody knows your strengths and weaknesses better than your own. Confidence isn't just something that appears out of thin air- its a conscious decision that is made every day with every decision. My motto is "fake it til you make it." If you show people that you ARE the best at this, if you are the expert, then people just believe you and have trust in you. (there is obviously a balance in being arrogant and confident and not doing unsafe things...) But I truly believe that having confidence in ourselves is the best thing we can do. Like she said, fail or succeed- you did your best and you gave it your all.

Brittany Harris

10/13/2020 04:54:55 pm

I agree with being your own hype-man. Self-affirmation is an important part of confidence and motivation. If you don't believe in yourself, success will be much harder to reach.

Her statement of listening to your gut does have merit. I think we have all had times that we listened to others in a decision and it ended up not working out and we said "I should have just listened to myself." It gets tricky though, because as leaders, we are part of a team. While I'm sure there are times that you may have to step up and stick to your own idea for a decision, you have to consider suggestions of the team. If you consistently choose your own idea over the ideas of your team, you will lose their respect.

Emilee Tucker

10/14/2020 09:14:42 am

I have to disagree with "the best counsel is your own". I highly value the opinions of my mentors and peers because they challenge me to view decisions from all angles and may bring different experiences to the table. Ultimately, yes - you are responsible for your decision and should go with your gut and what you feel is best/right, but I do not think it is wise to never seek outside council. I value not reinventing the wheel and learning from others mistakes.

Of course I give myself pep talks! Haha Sometimes it's "You can do this. You are capable. You've succeeded before" and sometimes it's digging into scripture and letting the spirit fill me with the confidence I need to do what needs done, even if it is hard. It just depends on the situation.

Sometimes my inner voice is used to bring me confidence, sometimes peace, and sometimes fierceness depending on what the situation calls for.

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Session 5.2: Bozoma Saint John #2

Listen to Your Inner Voice

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