By: Patty Prosser
Good Leadership: Why Confidence Matters
A common goal that my coaching clients identify is the desire to “develop greater confidence,” but what I often ask them to clarify is…are they really wanting to find better ways to be “heard” when they speak? The two are often interconnected.
Leaders want greater confidence because it empowers them to embrace challenges, take risks, and pursue opportunities that lead to personal and professional growth. It can also lead to better decision-making, stronger relationships, and greater resilience against setbacks. By fostering belief in their abilities, greater confidence can help leaders improve communication and promote a healthier mindset. And often, it helps a leader to see failures as learning experiences, not just threats, and fuels perseverance, ultimately increasing their chances of success.
Unfortunately, many leaders wait for some elusive signal before they act – some magical mix of certainty, clarity, and swagger. And, even more critical, leaders want to believe that what they have to say is relevant and important. But there is no such thing as the absolute right time to speak. Sometimes it just takes a leap of faith- trusting in yourself enough, believing in the knowledge you possess!
Ultimately, confidence is the belief in one’s capacity to handle life’s situations, allowing leaders to act decisively, learn continuously, and live more fully.
Here are some suggestions that might help to develop greater confidence:
- Challenge Negative Thoughts: Recognize negative self-talk and actively replace it with positive, hopeful statements
- Focus on Strengths: Make a list of what you’re good at and celebrate past successes
- Step Out of Your Comfort Zone: Gradually try new things to prove to yourself you can handle challenges
- Intentionally seek out challenges, starting small
- Gain experience and learn from mistakes
- Consider Mentorship programs to help boost confidence
And, if all else fails, Act Confidently! “Fake it ’til you make it” by adopting confident body language (like good posture and eye contact) and speaking assertively.
So, in essence…
Building confidence involves a mix of mindset shifts, actionable steps, and self-care, focusing on recognizing strengths, setting small achievable goals, practicing positive self-talk, stepping outside your comfort zone gradually, and nurturing your body and mind with good habits. It’s also important to surround yourself with supportive people and learn from mistakes as growth opportunities. It’s about believing you can handle the setbacks, not avoiding them.
And remember, there’s more than one way to tackle a problem or issue. Sometimes you just might need a little help! And as always, if you or other leaders in your organization are facing similar challenges, please visit our website at The Center for Leadership Excellence.
And if you have a “prickly” leadership issue you’d like me to explore in a future blog, please reach out to me directly – I’d love to hear from you.
Patty Prosser, Co-Founder and Coaching Practice Leader at The Center for Leadership Excellence,317-727-6464 or at pprosser@cciindy.com.