Reclaiming your inner power: what leaders sometimes forget

No, I’m not here to talk about transcendental meditation or esoteric spirituality.

There’s no inner guru to seek here.

What I want to address is a topic as strategic as it is subtle: our ability to stop letting our reactions, moods, and decisions be dictated by external factors.
In my coaching work with executives, I often find that this is one of the most underestimated levers of leadership.

Because reclaiming your inner power isn’t a concept.
It’s a shift in posture.
It’s a realignment of your internal compass.
It’s a different way of standing in your life and leadership responsibilities.
It’s a powerful tool to manage your energy, sustain your confidence and leadership presence, and stay clear-headed day to day.

What we (unconsciously) hand over to the outside world

If you’re a leader, executive, or entrepreneur, your daily life is filled with expectations, pressure, subtle signals to interpret, and urgent decisions to make.
And more often than not, your brain adapts… a little too well:

The CEO is stressed → I tense up.
A team member is anxious → I exhaust myself trying to reassure them.
The market is uncertain → I obsessively anticipate every possible scenario.
A client is impatient → I sacrifice my breath to meet their pressure.

It gives the illusion of control, but in reality, it’s the outside world running your internal weather.
I often tell my clients: “You’re piloting a plane… but reacting like a passenger.”
And in the long run, that drains your clarity, energy, presence—and sometimes even your confidence..

What if you took back the controls?

Reclaiming your inner power is about making that crucial side-step few leaders dare to take.
It’s reasserting that what I feel, what I choose, what I decide… belongs to me.
And it may just be one of the most powerful acts of leadership you can make.
Not flashy.
Not loud.
But profoundly foundational.

🎈Like an aeronaut adjusting the flame of their hot air balloon: not too high, not too low. Just the right altitude to see clearly, feel fully, and decide wisely.

A 3-step path (and a lot of quiet courage)

Here’s a simple but demanding exercise I often share in my coaching sessions:

1. Identify where you’re giving your power away
Take a notebook. Over the course of a day, observe:

When did you react automatically to someone else?
When did a tension, urgency, or fear pull you along without pause?

Not to judge—just to notice.

2. Choose a small area to reclaim control
Don’t aim for the emotional Himalayas right away. Choose a simple domain to test a new posture:

Decline an unnecessary meeting.
Say “no” to a request that oversteps your boundaries.
Resist the urge to reply immediately to a tense message.

The goal: remind yourself that you have a choice.

3. Celebrate (really) a micro-victory
Yes, it’s “just” a “no.” But sometimes, that “no” is a major act of inner reclaiming.
Each small adjustment brings you a little more grounding, clarity, and energy.

What a leader learned by daring to say no

I think of a leader I recently coached. He felt constantly overwhelmed by workload, cornered by a cascade of deadlines imposed by his CEO.

One day, he dared to say no.
No to an unrealistic deadline.
Calmly. Justifiably. Clearly.

That “no” brought up a cascade of beliefs:
“If I say no, I’ll disappoint.”
“If I slow down, I’ll lose my reputation for reliability.”
“If I listen to myself, I’m being selfish.”

But that same “no” also made space for a more meaningful “yes”:
Yes to his integrity.
Yes to breathing room.
Yes to a grounded, embodied leadership posture..

Reclaiming your inner power does not mean controlling everything

Reclaiming your power doesn’t mean controlling everything.
It means choosing what you no longer outsource.
It doesn’t mean rejecting all external influence.
It’s knowing when to welcome it… and when to return to yourself.
It’s not about resisting everything.
It’s about feeling without automatically adapting.
Deciding without losing yourself.
Moving forward without forgetting who you are.

And You? Where Do You Stand?

Where do you feel your inner power is fading?
Which emotions or reflexes are still dictated by external forces?
What if you tried one small step to take back the controls—starting tomorrow?

If this topic speaks to you—if you feel the time has come to reclaim your inner ground in your daily leadership—let’s talk.