Nick Stopped Worrying About Himself — Can You?
28 Jan 2026 · 5 min
Bill Gallagher coaches a client named Nick who learned to stop worrying about himself during a board pitch. When Nick set aside self-doubt, he pitched effectively and got the feedback he needed. Personal anxiety blocks leadership; moving past it changes the outcome.
Questions this episode answers
Bill Gallagher
May 16, 2023
doxatalent.com; aligntoday.com
scalingcoach.com; email contact shown as info scalingcoach.com (as transcribed)
Chapters
Are you thinking about how to grow your business with near and offshore staffing, but you're also wanting to make sure that it's reliable, cost effective and really well done? I think docsa talent is the way to go. Here's why. They don't just fill your jobs. They bring integrity, top talent and a people first approach that's hard to find. I've known the people at Doxa talent for over 20 years now and I say that you can count on them. I have talent. Talk to Doxatalant and you won't be disappointed. Go to doxatalent.com Bill G Again, that's doxatalent.com BillG. One more time. Docsatalant.com Bill G. Check it out today. All right, so we were talking about for the last few weeks then about being inspiring and getting people lit up. And we've just started to talk last week about what is how do we get people to engage? Right now they're lit up, but how do we engage? Get them to decide, commit and act right. When people decide and commit to things and then start taking action with it, now they're personally involved. And that's the second part of leadership Flywheel. Well, we revealed before that listening makes a difference, but the other thing is something always gets in the way. So even if we're going to do a good pitch and we're really trying to listen to the other person, something goes wrong, right? And you may notice that, that you are worried about things from time to time with different groups of people in different settings. What are you worried about? It's not what's going on over there with them that will make a difference. It's always you. It's always you and me. So what we're worried about and what gets in the way is us. I had a guy that I was coaching some years ago, you need to go ask the board for something that he wasn't sure they would go along with but he really needed. He thought it was important for the business and so he had to pitch the board the next day. So we went through rehearsing some things and I could tell he just couldn't find his way through it. And there was something there that was unspoken. So I asked him what was really going on, what are you worried about? And he started to lay out all these personal concerns, right? We've all got them. Oh, I talk too fast or I'm not this or I'm not smart enough or I'm like whatever. You have thoughts about how you are and how that would go and they get in the way again and again and again. Well, so we actually practiced in the moment, role played, setting those things aside and getting over with the other person like letting that go and that made all the difference. He went, pitched the board the other day. The next day they said yes. They had some things that he never even considered, some qualifications and so on. But they worked through that. He got what he needed, it was improved by their input and he went and he executed and the company grew for the next bit. So that's really the key and I hope that you can use that. Set aside your concerns about you and start worrying more about the people that you're pitching. Proposing, offering, partnering with the people that you need. Yes. And action from and it'll make all the difference. Set yourself aside, think more about them. That is the key. And we'll get you out of the way. You and me always get in the way. My name is Bill Gallagher. I'm the Scaling coach and host of the Scaling Up Business podcast. I hope this has been helpful for you. If it is like subscribe, turn on your notifications so that you get it every week. Pass it along to somebody else if you'd like. We've got a whole back catalog of things to do with people. Strategy, execution, cash and your leadership. All that and more. Wherever you're getting this now, or@scalingcoach.com, our website. Our website is scalingcoach.com and if you'd like to drop us an email, a great email address is info scalingcoach.com Hope that's been helpful. We'll talk to you again next time. Keep Scaling Up. Are you ready to turn your goals into daily wins? You should check out our Scoreboard software. Powered by Align, it's the official software for scaling up. With Scoreboard, you'll get an AI driven coach for priorities and KPIs and it'll help keep your team focused on what matters most. With Align, you can track your goals in real time and you'll even see results on the go. With their mobile app you can rest easy knowing that Align has world class onboarding and support to set your team up for success. This is really more than just software. It's what I actually use to manage growth in our Scaling up client teams. Unlock clarity and results with Scoreboard by Align. To try it now, go to aligntoday.com Bill G One more time aligntoday.com Bill G that's aligntoday.com Bill G Check it out and try it now.




