When can a negative thought turn into something positive?
Evolution has hardwired us to look for ‘bad things’, which has stood us in good stead when faced with potentially dangerous situations. Unfortunately for many of us, it also means we look for bad or negative things to the detriment of all the good stuff that is around and within us. It’s also been said that if you think negative thoughts, negative or bad things are likely to happen whereas, a positive thinking approach typically leads to more positive outcomes.
This isn’t always the case and, if used correctly, the inner critic in you can be used effectively to make positive improvements.
Imagine you are getting support from a professional coach, and you highlight how you aren’t good at doing something, for example, you’re having a problem with communicating or handling a tricky situation.
If you “brush over it” and say it’s not an issue, despite knowing deep down that you didn’t do it well, then you are unlikely to learn how to tackle the issue better in the future.
If, however, you address the issue head-on, with your inner critic who’s telling you that you could and should have handled the situation better, you can explore different ways to improve.
Assisted by your professional coach you are more likely to gain insights from the situation by questioning what happened and how you can prevent it happening again.
The result?
If the right approach is taken, it will improve your understanding of how you deal with situations, leading to self-development and a growth in your skill levels.
Turning a negative into a positive
The phrase “turning a negative into a positive” is possibly another way of saying “turning the inner critic into an inner coach”. If you are going to criticise your thoughts and actions, then it can be very effective if it’s turned into a positive.
In other words, if you criticise your actions and don’t do anything about it, then nothing will change, and potentially your self-confidence will be eroded. If, however you develop an inner coach by thinking about how to improve your actions, a positive outcome is possible increasing your self-esteem.
How executive coaching can help
Creating an “inner coach” is a great way to get better results and a way to capitalise further on this concept is to get help from an executive coach who can guide you in the right direction.
An executive coach is often used as part of what’s called executive development whereby managers and leaders are given the tools and support to develop themselves and their thinking. If there is a specific issue that keeps recurring, rather than giving an answer (which is typically an opinion), the professional coach will guide the manager towards finding their own answer. An executive coach doesn’t provide the answers. Instead, they ask thought provoking questions to generate insights that allows individuals to reach their own conclusions. Evidence has shown that we need to be motivated to achieve behavioural change, which is more effective if we have come up with the solutions ourselves rather than being told by others what to do. This becomes the role of the inner coach, who reminds us that we need to work on ourselves.
Need help with some inner critics?
A great way to improve your leadership and management team is by providing leadership coaching. I provide professional coaching at Bawden-Howe Coaching to help businesses with their executive development.
I can help executives improve their impact on others, which also has positive outcomes for businesses.
i provide face-to-face executive and leadership coaching as well as remote support provided over video calls.
If your inner critic is saying “why didn’t I call Wendy earlier?”, the positive outcome must surely be to give me a call today to get started!
Here’s my number: 07595 917634
