Building Your Leadership Confidence (Wendy Samson and Curt Swenson, 2016)
We know what true confidence looks and sounds like, but how can we develop it in ourselves? What daily perspectives can we take to become more assured in our work and our leadership? How do we continue to build that necessary intrinsic locus of control – even as adults? FutureSYNC International submits the following ideas for your consideration:
Bring perspective – If you attend any funeral, you will realize that no one talks about how the deceased met all their quarterly goals or how they were so great at analyzing the metrics of their work. At the end of our lives, how we have treated others is ultimately how we will be remembered. Accordingly, bring a perspective to the workplace that acknowledges that our significance will be small unless it is in direct relationship to serving others. Confidence comes from making decisions that are in the best interests of others. It is not all about you!
Honor others by being transparent – When we feel insecure, we tend to tuck in, keep things close to the chest and operate under the radar. Instead, build your confidence by being bold in your questions and articulating your concerns, no matter the consequence. Go directly to the people you have issues with and graciously and professionally talk them through. Some days, you may have to head into the fray realizing that it might be your last day. Make a decision to live life upholding your personal brand and standards. Healthy conflict builds confidence in you and in those you work with when the results are fruitful.
Delay gratification – Practice putting aside meeting your own emotional needs. This means choosing a mantra to say to yourself or using a time-out process when you begin to emotionally escalate, giving your brain time to re-calibrate by accessing your executive functioning. Emotional escalation typically results in inconsistent, roller coaster-type behavior that lessens confidence in yourself, along with your co-workers’ confidence in you.
Find your fit – Work is hard enough, but a career is not intended to put you in a “survival mindset”. Sometimes you have to say goodbye to a workplace that doesn’t fit with your gifts and talents. Some jobs are quite competitive, some are collaborative and some are simply task-oriented, with all manner of variations between and among these types. Analyze and identify the type of environment that brings the best out of you – even if it means taking a cut in pay or some other resource risk on your part. Remember, operating at your best and seeing the fruits of your ideas and skills, will improve both your confidence and your trajectory!
Bring a climate of joy and appreciation into the room – It is a researched fact that positive people are simply more successful. They are more influential, better risk-takers and are both hopeful and resilient. Be the leader that greets others, shares stories, affirms easily and often, and gives the credit away every time. Confident people handle success by pointing to the contributions of others while insecure people point to themselves.
For workshops and further discussion on growing your leadership confidence, contact FutureSYNC International at (406) 254-2326!