Finding your inner cheerleader

Over the last couple of months, Rise has given me so much to think about to improve not just my career but also myself as a person. It has allowed me to re-think how I’d like other people to see me and has pushed me to be more confident and have a positive outlook on my future.

In July, we learnt how to be assertive in a session led by career coach Arit Eminue. We were shown how assertiveness is a form of communication that requires you to ask for what you want firmly and fairly.

The session gave us the tools, techniques and different ways of thinking how to become a better, more assertive you. This sort of training not only helps you in your work life but also in your private life.

No one wants to come across as aggressive or rude but equally you don’t want to be a “pushover” who does whatever is asked of them and gets nothing in return. During the session, we learnt how being assertive in the right way can lead to:

• Honest relationships
• Improved mental health
• Better communication
• Self confidence
• Enhanced career prospects

If you change the way you speak to allow for positive language, then you’re more likely to achieve your end goal. For me personally, I have found changing just one or two words when I begin a conversation where I’d like to improve my work situation has led to positive results. It has left me feeling more confident to speak to my team and upper management regarding any concerns or even ideas that I feel might work for us.

Resilience training

This session, led by Jo Hind from the company Bird Soup, examined how we might become more resilient. She started by asking what resilience means to us, and throughout the session we were asked to think about how we can be more resilient. To me, resilience means you’re determined, optimistic and confident, all traits that I feel I could work on.

I’ve always felt determined to do well but I’ve lacked the confidence and optimism to achieve all my goals. Being part of the Rise Programme has encouraged me to change my point of view and gain a newfound confidence to want more for myself, not just for my career but as an individual too.

Read more How to be seen and heard: building your brand through mentoring 

Jo explained to us that resilience allows you to have two mindsets: a fixed mindset, and a growth mindset. A fixed mindset restricts you from progressing and makes you turn down challenges. A growth mindset allows you to assess situations and make informed decisions.

Within a growth mindset you can realise that you might not be able to do something straight away but with a bit of work and determination, you can open your mind to learn new skills. Whilst my mindset has never been closed to new opportunities, I have found that I’ve talked myself out of doing things a lot in the past. This workshop helped me to see that it only takes asking a question to get the ball rolling to achieve a new goal.

Owning your brilliance

For our fifth session in September, we finally had the pleasure of meeting up with the lovely Harriet Waley-Cohen to learn about Owning your Brilliance. This session focused on finding your inner cheerleader and ignoring your inner critic.

It really allowed each of us to think of positive and interesting facts about ourselves that didn’t just include our work achievements. Harriet spoke to us about dealing with conflict and how to have a better outcome when you address issues at work or even at home. The entire concept of the session was to leave one feeling positive about anything you put your mind to. I left feeling that I had the drive and the confidence to do better in both my working and personal life.

Read more The tools to succeed: why I joined the Rise mentoring scheme 

Overall, these three sessions have been a huge confidence boost to me and have given me the tools and the knowledge to enable me to further my growth in confidence as well as having a positive effect on my mental wellbeing.

I have found enjoyment in learning ways to develop my confidence and have even found myself wanting to speak on some of the panels. Anyone who knows me well will know that I have never liked to speak up in public! Rise has given me much to think about regarding the future of my career and I am very excited to see what the final sessions offer as they round up the last six months of the mentor scheme.

Kat Savage is lead transmission operator at Discovery and part of the Rise mentoring programme