Being Confident Should Be a Leader's Top Priority. Here Are 4 Ways to Build Your Confidence Levels. Nowadays, confidence is a hot topic — and it has every reason to be. Here's why it's an essential trait for leaders to consistently nurture.
By Ivan Popov Edited by Kara McIntyre
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We live in times when personal development and growth have transformed into one of the most important topics that intrigue our minds. Together with establishing healthy self-esteem, proactivity and productivity skills, confidence has turned into a viral subject that interests virtually everyone who aims at elevating their personal development.
In today's dynamic and competitive world, it's the confidence that enables us to showcase our strengths, what we are good at and what helps us stand out in a sea of individuals sharing the same passion.
In the context of leadership and management, confidence certainly goes hand in hand with success. Anyone who expresses leadership aspirations should start working on their confidence levels — in the end, it's the fuel that drives our determination.
Let's focus on confidence in leadership. Here's why it is so important to establish and maintain this trait, plus four useful strategies that can help any leader do so successfully.
Related: Don't Believe These 5 Leadership Myths That Undermine Your Confidence
Is it even possible for a leader to be good at the job without confidence?
Nowadays, many companies rely on the leader-team combo, where a single figure serves as a bridge that connects the dots between the team and the clients, as well as between the team members. We're so used to the leading figure that we often forget what this job represents.
A leader is someone who is viewed as a role model. Essentially, this person embraces a whole lot of responsibilities — leaders are not supposed to just distribute the workload to their employees. In addition, they need to help the team stick together in turbulent times when the team spirit appears to be gone. Also, leaders are expected to know their employees — their strengths, weaknesses, aspirations and goals — so that they can inspire them daily and also support them whenever things get rough.
But if there's one thing that turns a person into a role model besides experience, knowledge and expertise, it's confidence. An individual could be the best professional in a specific business field, but without confidence, they wouldn't be able to showcase all the skills and abilities that shape their expertise. Therefore, they wouldn't be able to be in charge of people who constantly need support, guidance and care.
Self-confidence in leadership doesn't mean bossing around and giving away orders all day long. Essentially, it represents the leader's own set of skills and then doubles them as seen by the employees. A self-confident leader serves as a bond in the team, leading by example and proving they know what they are doing. As a result, the team members trust their leader, respect them and look up to them. This insightful inspiration helps both the leader and the employees grow together and keep moving forward in business.
Related: 10 Ways to Build Your Entrepreneurial Confidence
So how can a leader nurture self-confidence? Here are 4 useful strategies
Self-confidence comes naturally to some; others, on the other hand, need a slight push in the confidence department for their personal improvement.
Once we've covered why being self-confident is an essential characteristic of the leadership persona, it's time we get practical. Here are four quite useful strategies that every aspiring leader can implement to further elevate their confidence level:
- Show that both the good and the bad examples are excellent teachers. In leadership, people are also prone to making mistakes as well as showcasing splendid work. It's rarely smooth sailing. However, being open, honest and wise in front of your team is definitely a sign of maturity and confidence. Use your accomplishments as examples and motivation. Then, use your mistakes as guidance and shared experiences that can teach your team a thing or two about getting up and moving on.
- Being open to feedback, even if it's negative, is a tremendous sign of self-confidence. Leaders aren't the only ones who are supposed to offer feedback. This process should go both ways. A confident manager is someone who constantly seeks feedback from their employees and accepts criticism as a focal point of their future development and professional growth.
- Making sure words align with actions is essential. A self-confident leader never goes against their words because they know what they've said matters. When a manager crosses out what they've said in terms of promises, plans, steps and vision, it simply means they diminish their own words.
- Showing flexibility and adaptability is key. In business, no one can guarantee things won't change completely overnight. If a leader wants to showcase self-confidence, they need to be flexible and adaptable to change since this proves their professionalism is bigger than circumstances. Essentially, this is the ultimate lesson in terms of role modeling one can teach the employees.
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Self-confidence requires work but it's worth every minute in the long run
At first, it may sound like a lot of work. And it actually is. Being self-confident is a skill that needs constant maintenance — sometimes our day-to-day can slowly push us to the edge, losing the self-esteem perspective.
Nevertheless, self-confidence will always remain a pivotal interpersonal characteristic in a leader's portfolio. Learning how to nurture healthy self-esteem and how to use it to further support and help the team is a skill every leader would need today, tomorrow and always.
