"The King's Speech," a MUST See.

Self-Trust is the sine-qua-non of leading.
We describe it as a state of resolve in which a leader, relying on recollections of experience, values and aspirations, encourages followers to take that next worthy step, accept what has been accomplished thereby, and learn from it.
This movie may seem to be about George VI's stuttering, but it is about self-trust, most of all, and the role of mentoring in helping someone attain that state.
George VI's stuttering, the film reveals, relates to a childhood devoid of loving care, encouragement and hopefulness, and filled instead with pain, derision and repression.  Sounds very British!!!  Just kidding.
The king could not move beyond his faltering speech until he 1.) accepted that someone was worth spending time with; 2.) accepting that this person cared about him; and 3.) that he had to delve into his recollections of how he became a person who stuttered in order to take up a position of self-trust that no longer required that tripping hesitation.
In the case of the king, the physical presence and urging (coaching) of the mentor was essential.  Self-trust for the king meant that out of the blue, someone who was completely different than him saw him as worthy, courageous and kingly.
Most of us do not have to get to that haughty level of acceptance, but we do struggle to accept our worthiness anyway. The din of criticisms (You don't have to live the life of that 5-year-old," Lionell the mentor said to Berty) from our childhoods, the wounds of fresh failures, the wilting glares of the skeptical make self-trust a difficult enough attitude to attain.  But self-trust does not entail perfection, and when leading bold endeavors, it cannot.  Taking that one step, up to the microphone, or into that next risky task is  far enough.  And including the hesitations and doubts and fears in that stepping out is part of it all.
Then, self-trust asks that we learn from what has transpired -- not just the mistakes (as though that will be all that happens), but from the successes as well.  Those successes pave the way for the next step, and the next, and by learning from them we can impart some sense of the expansiveness of what we can bring to this life for others, for our communities and for the earth.
Long live self-trusting leaders.
See this move, "The King's Speech."