Danita Bye | 6 Tips on How to Use Gratitude to Build Leadership Influence and Confidence

6 Tips on How to Use Gratitude to Build Leadership Influence and Confidence

Posted at h in Executive Leadership, Sales Leadership, Millennial Leadership by Linda Dippenaar 0 Comments

Growing up on The Triple T Ranch was a leadership development adventure! Especially in the winter….

My parents always made sure we were ready for power outages or getting snowed in. They stocked up on food. They kept the furnace roaring. Still, cabin fever was real. My siblings and I had to get creative to keep from driving Mom and Dad crazy!

Fast forward to my life as a city-dwelling business leader. I was confident, made great progress. and won sales awards. And then—a recession knocked me off track. That’s when I made a startling discovery. Successful leaders encounter “winter” seasons too. These are the times when everything gets tough and forward momentum seems to stop.

When this happens, your confidence takes a knock. The lies about who are you are and what you’re called to do begin to sabotage your confidence. You may step into the trap of negative self-talk, even finding “evidence” to reinforce the lies.

In a previous article, I explore the triggers that can send you into a leadership winter. We also unpack the lies that steal your leadership brilliance. Read more about it here.

When you face a “leadership winter,” how do you respond? Do you find creative ways to adapt or feel stuck, waiting for better days?

Negative Preparation is a Leadership Strategy to Shift your Perspective

Negative experiences are uncomfortable and even painful at times. But, Dr. Robert Clinton, one of my favorite leadership strategy experts, says that obstacles serve us well.

Difficult times are a catalyst for growth. These experiences help you emerge stronger and more confident. In his book, The Making of a Leader, he calls this process “Negative Preparation.”

The good news? You don’t have to stay in “stuck mode” during a difficult season.

Harnessing the benefits of the winter season starts by shifting your perspective. Challenges can become growth opportunities. It may feel counterintuitive to be grateful when your confidence is at an all-time low, but that’s where the growth happens.

There’s well-researched science behind this leadership strategy. Caroline Leaf is a cognitive neuroscientist. In “Switch on Your Brain: The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking, and Health,” she uses the metaphor of a “brain tree.” This image helps us understand the impact of thoughts on our brains:

Focusing on the negative (and fear) creates dead branches.
Focusing on positive thoughts, like gratitude, creates new neural pathways.

Negative thoughts are like thorny vines. They wrap around your brain tree, blocking growth. These vines of self-doubt are confidence killers! But, grateful and positive thoughts help new, healthy branches grow. Scientists call this process neuroplasticity. It builds the resilience and confidence you need to thrive as a leader.

A grateful mindset feeds a healthy brain tree, sprouting new branches and leaves. In nature, this is the prolific growth we see in spring. The same happens in your leadership spring. Here are some characteristics of a leadership spring:

Progress feels energizing and rapid, bringing a sense of accomplishment and momentum.
Ideas and plans come together with ease, and execution happens swiftly.
Life Vision and Mission take center stage, guiding you forward.
Key strengths shine brightly, propelling you toward success with ease and effectiveness.
Confidence soars, as you trust your decisions. You believe they lead to growth.

Gratitude Strategies to Activate Leadership Confidence

Focusing on negativity drains your confidence in your strengths, gifts, and calling.

Let’s explore some practical actions you can take to fight the lies that destroy your confidence. Let’s prepare for a spring season of growth:

Challenge Self-Doubt with Evidence of Success

When you catch yourself thinking, ‘I’m not capable enough,’ challenge the lie. A grateful mindset helps you recognize your achievements. You have gained skills over time. Make a list of your past successes and review it often. This boosts your confidence and reminds you of your value as a leader.

Top Gratitude Tip: Recognize your abilities. Remember that this season provides space for reflection and planning. Be grateful for the time to build on your strengths.

Redefine Success on Your Own Terms

Are you caught in the lie that ‘You’ll never be successful’? Challenge this lie with a grateful mindset. Take time to define what success means to you. Then, appreciate the unique strengths and talents you’ve used to achieve it. Recognizing these qualities helps you see how they contribute to your success. Set realistic goals that align with your strengths. Then, celebrate each small victory with gratitude. It will enable you to maintain motivation and momentum.

Top Gratitude Tip: Use the popular S.M.A.R.T. acronym. It helps you to develop specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-based goals. Be grateful for each step forward.

Learn from Failures and Embrace Growth

Challenge the lie that ‘My past failures define me.’ Approach your experiences with gratitude. Reframe failures as learning opportunities. Appreciate the growth they’ve brought to your journey. Reflect on what you’ve gained from the past. This will help you recognize how experiences, good and bad, shape your development as a leader.

Top Gratitude Tip: Be grateful that you know this season won’t last forever! Then focus on how to use this time to lay the foundation for future growth.

Track and Celebrate Progress

When you feel like ‘I’m not making any progress,’ a gratitude journal can challenge this lie. Set aside a few minutes each day to journal. Make a list of all your accomplishments, big or small. Review your progress now and again. This will boost your morale and help you acknowledge the milestones you’ve reached.

Top Gratitude Tip: Send an email to Danita@DanitaBye.com to get my free resource, Energize Your Dreams. It will kick-start your progress!

Focus on Personal Leadership Development

What might you do when thinking “Others are better than me.”? Focus on personal growth through a grateful lens. Appreciate the unique path you’re on. Ask questions like these to stimulate creativity:

How can I prepare and store energy-rich leadership resources to thrive in my next season?
How can I use gratitude to build a confident mindset, even during this winter season?
What might I change or even stop doing to ensure that I don’t lose my vision for the future?

Top Gratitude Tip: Identify areas where you can grow and build your skills. Be grateful for each step of progress. This will boost your confidence and reduce self-doubt.

Reconnect with Your Purpose

If you think, ‘My work isn’t making a difference,’ revisit your core values. Reflect on how your current role aligns with these values. Appreciate the impact you’ve already made. Find ways to add more meaningful activities to your work. This can help you reconnect with your purpose and reignite your passion.

Top Gratitude Tip: Get the Personal Vision, Values, and Virtues eBook here. It brings clarity about your life’s purpose. A grateful mindset will help you develop hope-filled resilience. Then you can thrive in any situation.

Emerge Stronger: You Can Survive and Thrive in Your Leadership Winter Season

A leadership winter is not an end, but a beginning. It’s a time to cultivate the unshakeable confidence that fuels success in the coming seasons. A grateful mindset enables you to break the power of lies. It also activates the powerful benefits of Clinton’s “Negative Preparation” concept.

I am grateful for the lessons from my ranch upbringing. Those freezing North Dakota winters have shaped my approach

to leadership challenges.

Embrace gratitude! You can build confidence during a winter season with these action steps:

Nurture Your Leadership with Gratitude-Based Reflections
Build Energy-Rich Reserves Like a Quaking Aspen
Reframe Challenges as Growth Opportunities
Strengthen Your Confidence by Tapping into Support Networks
Practice Self-Care to Maintain Your Leadership Strength
Reconnect with your Purpose

I hope these gratitude action steps inspire you! You can turn your winter season into a time of growth and confidence-building. A leadership winter season can be your time to develop resilience and thrive.

Join the gratitude revolution and start cultivating the seeds for your future success!

For more insights on this topic, see: