When the Inner Critic Ruins Your Leadership
- Priya Venkatesan
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
The higher you go, the louder the voice gets.
The voice that tells you,
You are not good enough!The stakes are higher and the scrutiny sharper. And there's no one to tell you you're doing fine.
Self-doubt is not just a personal struggle. At the executive level, it shows up in how you lead.
You play it safe when you need bold moves.
Your presence shrinks in the rooms that matter.
You are a control freak.
You are burnt out.
A senior leader I coached just delivered a huge transformation program for her company.
Senior leadership was thrilled. The board was ecstatic.
And yet, she could not enjoy her success because of one missed promotion before that.
She started re-writing her career history in her head on how she is a failure.
The under-current running her narrative: I will feel enough "when" I get the next role, the next seat, the next ....... Until I get those, I am not good enough.
If you see yourself in her, and exploring options on how to deal with the inner critic, the below might help you:
Notice whose voice it is:
Most often this is the voice of an authority figure that you looked upto (parents, teachers, grandparents, boss,mentor etc). Bottomline, not yours!
Separate Value from worth
Value is what others attribute to you and is subject to change on context, people and performance.
Worth is how you see yourself with your own eyes. It doesnt need external validation.
Stop the "When" trap
I will be happy when...I am good enough when.....are statements that ensure your permanent seat in misery. Be happy now. You are good enough now.
Consciously, create moments that raise your worth
Read a page a day that you intended. Connect with one team member a week. Write that
journal. Learn a new skill.
Build systems that make you un-stoppable
Build systems that keep you in pink of health, mental alertness and connection.When you are
nourished from the inside, you don't look outwards.
Reflections for leader of leaders:
Where is self-doubt showing up in how you lead?
What decision are you not making because the voice is too loud?
What would change if you stopped believing the voice?
