Louise Mathias is a Barrister (Lawyer), Mediator (Harvard), certified High-Performance and Emotional Intelligence Coach and a Dare To Lead™ consultant (Brené Brown). She is based in Sydney, Australia and works with clients worldwide.
Louise Mathias helps female professionals become Top 1% leaders without stress or sacrificing what matters most. She also helps lawyers and workplaces resolve conflict easier with high-performance emotional intelligence habits and human centricity.
As we gain greater self-awareness and purpose, we become more attuned to our strengths and even more aware of how we limit ourselves. This realisation is not a burden but a source of empowerment. We understand that our thoughts, beliefs, and feelings can either hold us back or propel us forward.
We are the masters of our destiny, and it's time to take control.
What is controlling you?
We are the ones who allow our insecurities and fears to grow to tidal wave proportions that then wash away our desires, potential, and dreams. We delay our progress as we quit when circumstances demand us to be courageous and act decisively. We separate ourselves from others so that we don’t risk real connection, rejection, criticism, or feeling better than them.
No one wants to look in the mirror and realise that the person looking back is the cause of their frustration, stress, delay, or lack of success, thinking they have more time to do X, always planning to live and lead someday soon in a way that makes us feel alive and lead others with confidence…until there’s no more time and life has passed them by.
We want to see ourselves as free and motivated masters of our leadership and lives, but when we’re honest with ourselves, our fears and limiting beliefs (and emotions) control us and stand in our way.
Too often, you look back at that person in the mirror and ask these questions, but you don’t answer them:
Why can’t you get your act together?
Why don’t you have more confidence by this age?
Why do you still think you aren’t good enough?
You can’t go for what you want!
You can’t take more risks!
You can’t get better at connecting with others; you’re alone!
We know our internal demons win on difficult days, keeping us playing small and stuck and not taking any different action.
Those days must end because greatness, becoming a top 1% of leader, and living your best life belong to those who have turned their attention and taken action to master their internal world.
They don’t focus on approval, glamour, self-adoration, speed, convenience or what others may think.
They focus on holding themselves and others to a higher standard and working to reach that next level.
Most leaders who choose the low road don’t want to be self-disciplined or fear inviting conflict if they make different choices, so they excuse poor behaviour, including their own, and don’t call out violations of values, compassion, excellence, or leadership excellence. They look away and tolerate what shouldn’t be tolerated.
They can’t hold their teams to a higher standard because they fear they’ll look too bossy or lose a friend’s approval.
So many leaders know there is more, but it’s easier for them to remain comfortable or they don’t have the time, living and leading by ‘excuses’, and feel it’s too much effort to learn and implement next-level success.
These habits have led individuals, businesses, organisations and leaders to failure worldwide.
There isn’t a person who doesn’t think we can do better if we try!
Let us lead at the next level
As top 1% leaders, we look forward to contributing our time, our whole selves, our sweat and our passion for something that matters and improves our lives and the lives of others; we’re tired of waiting.
Are you ready to improve your mindset, beliefs, and emotional intelligence so that you inspire others and are the change you seek in leaders, business, conflict resolution, family, yourself and the world?
3 proven steps to high-performance leadership
1. Leadership is service, not self-centred, not a selfish act
Leaders who impose their agendas and ideas down people’s throats create toxic environments, stifling creativity and reducing morale and engagement. This leads to high turnover, low productivity, and overall dissatisfaction.
Many leaders avoid tough decisions to try to be popular or liked, which causes unresolved issues to stay buried. This results in larger problems down the track and stagnation within the organisation.
Leaders who fear showing emotion or embracing new ideas create a fearful workplace, eroding trust and hindering growth and innovation.
Most leaders lead from their fears or limiting beliefs, abandoning their and others' emotions and pushing back on great new ideas. And the difference is that high-performance leaders:
1. Embrace servant leadership
Focus on giving, are generous and put their own and other’s needs at the forefront
Encourage open discussion and listen to alternative viewpoints.
2. Make tough decisions
Openly discuss issues and ideas with transparency and honesty.
Facilitate passionate debates and diverse opinions.
Uphold truth and values
3. Show openness and authenticity
Lead with humility and authenticity.
Value and implement innovative ideas from others.
2. Unaccountable leadership: A dangerous trend
Most leaders remain unaccountable, refusing to own their thoughts, emotions, actions, or results. They prioritise money, the spotlight, and power, favouring the 'experts' and the status quo. This disregard for fresh perspectives leads to stagnation, as they believe change can only come slowly through formality and tradition.
By clinging to outdated methods and resisting change, leaders create an environment where inefficiencies thrive, hindering growth, adaptability, freedom, and world-class reputations.
High-performing leaders are different. They hold themselves and others accountable daily.
They welcome fresh perspectives and make those with new ideas their advisors. They set an example by caring enough to be remarkable and connected.
This mindset shift fosters a culture of innovation, trust, and continuous improvement.
Few would argue that the world needs new and different leaders!
3. Silence your fears and limiting beliefs to become a top 1% leader
Many leaders struggle with fears and limiting beliefs, thinking "I can't" and succumbing to their internal demons of fear. This mindset prevents them from demanding higher standards from themselves and others, hindering their potential to become top 1% leaders.
What gives birth to high performers' legendary status is their sheer determination to overcome their internal fears and limiting belief impulses and to fight for greatness actively, a better life, and top 1% leadership for themselves and others so they inspire real, sustainable change.
So here are three simple steps to get started.:
Get clarity, and that helps you set high standards. Know exactly what you want, and consistently demand excellence and action from yourself and your team, which requires you to hold yourself accountable first and then others.
Reward those who rise to the challenge and commit to coaching those who need to uplevel, ensuring daily that everyone moves forward in one direction as you persistently pull out the weeds of limiting beliefs and fear to create and succeed in your high-performance leadership, teams, lives, and businesses.
Arm yourself with the sword of courage to use against internal wars, your limiting beliefs and fears. It’s an indestructible blade for action on one edge and self-confidence in your abilities and the abilities of others on the other.
Conclusion
The moments we wield courage are the moments that become the most defining in our lives, leadership and conflict resolution. We need to build the skills required to walk into the arena, where we share ourselves, our ideas, opinions, and experiences, try new behaviour and ideas, experience falls and failures, get back up, learn and try again.
We must change the way we show up with other people.
All of the heroes, leaders and innovators who lit the way out of darkness forged within themselves the courage to overcome their internal conflicts when it mattered most.
In many ways, they are just like us.
Becoming a top 1% courageous leader may feel overwhelming, but you don't have to face it alone.
Louise Mathias, The Confident Leader Blueprint
Louise Mathias is a Barrister (Lawyer), Mediator (Harvard), certified High-Performance and Emotional Intelligence Coach and a Dare To Lead™ consultant (Brené Brown). She is based in Sydney, Australia and works with clients worldwide.
She helps female professionals rise to the top 1% of leaders without sacrificing what matters most, ensuring sustained success without stress. Louise also specialises in helping lawyers and workplaces resolve conflicts with a human-centric and emotionally intelligent approach.
