Leadership Coach Tips: Practicing Humble Assertiveness to Elevate Your Impact at Work

Me taking a selfie from a hot air balloon near Grand Teton National Park, WY with Catherine Gildiner quote about bravery.

There’s a constant tension in the workplace between fitting in and standing out, between preserving the status quo and pushing for change. It’s often easier to keep your head down and get along. But leadership and growth require more. Sometimes, what’s most needed is a little more boldness.

This blog post is intended to encourage you to be just a bit more assertive in pursuit of excellence, growth, and better business outcomes. Not loud or aggressive. Not manipulative or controlling. Just a bit more direct, confident, and purposeful with humility and integrity as your foundation.

Integrity is ticket-to-entry for thriving leadership. Without it, boldness becomes recklessness. But with it? You unlock your potential and inspire others.

We all get uncomfortable with experimentation. And if we want something better or different in our careers, we must choose that momentary discomfort over the comfort of the status quo. I recently heard that the three most addictive things in life are drugs, carbs, and a steady paycheck. That steady paycheck explains why so many of us hesitate to speak up, even when it’s exactly what we need to thrive. How long will you sit in this overload/inexperience/embarrassment/unknown/shame/weakness before choosing to own your story?

Here’s what being a touch more assertive can look like and how to equip yourself for it:

8 Ways to Practice Humble Assertiveness

1. Clarify your vision for success. Picture yourself living in alignment with your values and purpose. When your vision becomes clear and compelling, you’ll care enough to speak up and act in service of that future, even in the face of discomfort or doubt.

2. Inventory your strengths. You’ve come this far for a reason. Take time daily or weekly to note your wins, skills, and gifts. This growing list will build belief in yourself and a foundation for confident action.

3. Challenge your self-talk. Self-talk is constant—and often negative. The National Science Foundation found that 80% of it is negative, and 95% is repetitive. Learn to pause and ask: Is this thought true? Helpful? Mine? Facts fuel confidence, fiction fuels fear.

4. Make space to think and write. Journaling is a powerful, low-cost way to process emotions, calm anxiety, and generate solutions. Try stream-of-consciousness writing, then ask yourself: What must I do now?

5. Seek perspective from others. Being vulnerable enough to say “I’m stuck” opens the door to better answers, encouragement, and support. You might also discover unexpected allies for your bold next step.

6. Fill in the knowledge gaps. If you’ve been putting something off, it might be time to get curious: What am I avoiding? Whether it’s a skill, relationship, or fear of being wrong, start solving for it.

7. Sit in momentary discomfort. Growth requires discomfort. Learn to notice when it shows up and instead of retreating, stay present. Boldness often waits on the other side of that moment.

8. Embrace your human agency. You may not control your circumstances, but you can always choose your next step. Hope alone isn’t a strategy but hope and action is. Choose your direction, then move.

If you want to experiment with a touch more assertiveness in lower-risk ways, try these scenarios to flex some everyday boldness:

• Before a meeting, ask the organizer about the goals and how you can contribute.

• When invited to speak in a meeting, take the opportunity…even if briefly.

• After a meeting, share thoughtful feedback or ask for advice.

• When given an assignment, confirm expectations and next steps.

• If overwhelmed, ask how priorities can shift to preserve quality and energy.

• If someone else is better suited for a task, recommend them and offer to mentor for a growth opportunity for both.

  
  

While the comfort of the status quo is tempting, your best life and leadership lie beyond it. Boldness isn't about being loud, it's about being real. Today is a great day to get clearer on what thriving means for you, and to take one small, bolder step in that direction.

As a leadership coach, I coach growth-minded professionals to lead well, get recognized, and thrive. I publish a monthly newsletter and blog post and invite you to subscribe under my Contacts page.

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