Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Richie Kyriacou. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Richie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

The most important lesson I learned during my corporate career was that Senior Leaders aren’t to be feared.

Just remember that they were all kids and teenagers once with their own inner voices and insecurities developing, and as they go into adulthood, they’re too just trying to figure it out, trying to regulate their own emotions and nervous systems.

If you’re struggling to build confidence around certain members of staff, go on a journey of evoking deeper self-awareness into that self-doubt, fear or insecurity. You’ll start seeing yourself and the world around you differently. With these insights and learnings as well as the different tools to use in the moment to stay calm, take courageous action when opportunities present themselves. From here, confidence grows.

Richie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Let me share with you what I do and why.

I coach professionals holding back their potential. They’re working hard but something just doesn’t feel right. Everything seems forced and it’s not comfortable. And it’s showing up in the likes of frustration, fear, worry, distress and just a lack of confidence to be you.

Left for too long can be a dangerous place to be. I’ve been there and in my case I compensated with bad habits which eventually got the better of me to a point I had to change. The struggle is real for people and often goes disguised.

So in October 2021, I left a senior leadership position in corporate and I started coaching full time. I knew I had to spend the working hours of the day helping others find their solution. What I realised looking back over my own experience as well as coaching others, is the importance to take a step back and look at everything in 3 ways.

First, you need to start discovering real self-awareness, then start taking courageous action in line with that awareness so you can start being recognised by others but most importantly, yourself!

So what does all this mean?

By growing self-awareness we start to see what it is you really want. From an early age we get told what to do and how we should be, whether it’s by teachers, sports coaches, other kids at school, family members, TV, whatever, society in general. And we live according to others expectations and pressures. Not many actually stop to question this and check to explore whether our choices align to who we are, our vision and what’s important to us. It’s not our fault, neither is it the fault of those around us, just the way the world mostly is in places. Hopefully that changes one day but here we are now.

Part of this process of evoking self-awareness is to also discover your innate skills and strengths, ones you enjoy and want to contribute to the world with. We also break down what’s not true, what beliefs about yourself are holding you back. The most common one I come across is the “I’m not good enough”. So it prevents you from putting up your hand for an opportunity you would secretly like to try. So we break that down and find the real truth. Then you start to genuinely believe you can change, you can do something which may have seemed impossible before.

With these new insights we start to build your courageous action plan with me supporting you step by step. And through taking action you’ll notice confidence building. Through this you’ll start seeing life through a different lense, you’ll begin showing up with confidence to be yourself in situations. You’ll find yourself naturally speaking up more in meetings, networking events, the boss’s office, the boss’s boss’s office, you name it. It’s coming from a place of knowing who you are, knowing the path you’re on and knowing the value you have to offer is worth sharing. You’ll start to inspire those around you whether it’s peers, junior staff and even friends and family.

With this new presence, you’ll naturally start being recognised more and start attracting new opportunities and relationships that you actually want. Opportunities you’ll know whether are right because you know your truth. You’ll have the power to start choosing options aligned to what you want and is important to you. Life, career and relationships will feel comfortable and begin filling you with energy instead of draining.

But best of all, I will leave you at the end of the program with rock solid belief in yourself that you can do it, that you can make better decisions which positively impacts your life, career and people around you. You’ll know the path you’re on and can move forward with your newfound beliefs, behaviours and confidence. And I know when you get to that point, the realm of possibilities for your life is far beyond what you can see today.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Consistency

Consistency in looking after my own mind, body and spirit
Consistency in showing up being fully present for client sessions
Consistency in doing the work I don’t like but is important work for the business
Consistency in adapting when something isn’t working

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

This was the advice given to me by a boss in my early 20s, that was given to him by the group head. You have to know yourself first before you can lead others.

On LinkedIn today there are so many posts on ‘Do’s’ and ‘Don’ts’ for being a great leader. But if a leader is willing to go deeper into themselves to take an honest look, those ‘Do’s’ and ‘Don’ts’ will happen anyway as a by-product.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.resetwithrichie.com
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/reset-with-richie