The Critic Within
I was recently invited to speak at an executive forum event. As I sat down to craft my message, I was interrogated by an all too familiar voice: “Who are you to speak to that group? What do you have to say? You’ll never be a truly dynamic speaker, so don’t try too hard. ”What horrible, awful things to say to someone! Do people really say such things? In fact, most people do say these things – to themselves. In one domain or another, almost everyone is his or her own worst critic. Here are some examples I’ve heard from leaders I’m coaching:
“I can talk to him/her, but I’ll probably make things worse.”
“I can’t change; I’m too set in my ways.”
“I’ll never be considered for that position, there are better candidates.”
“They’ll never take me seriously.”
This article will be the entry point for a short series that culminates with a piece on declaring your truth. The starting point is here: What does your inner critic say? For the next week, observe the critic within. What does he/she/it look like? When does your critic show up? What does your critic do for you?
