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Employ one of these six steps every day and it will keep those negative voices, and resulting actions, away.
It has been a long standing joke of mine to ask audience members if they talk to themselves. Well, duh! But the problem is not that we do, it’s what we say and if you’re a leader who daily erodes your confidence by what you say, this is a bigger problem than you think. But why? Why does having a high level of confidence as a leader matter and if you don’t, how do you improve it? Here are six simple methods to improve your leadership confidence.
Think You’re Awesome
We all have those days when we think we could be better and get down on what we do or even who we are, but this is not helpful when you’re building your confidence. Find something about which you think you’re awesome and really focus on it. The focus will change your mindset, increase your confidence, self-esteem and optimistic attitude, and give others permission to look at their awesome skills, too.
Be More Visible
We might not always be able to be our own motivation and a positive word from your boss might be just the fuel we need to boost our own confidence. Being more visible and bringing more appropriate attention to how you are becoming a better leader, even if you are simply shining a light on your team, will impact you and those you lead.
Work as Hard on Networking as You Do on Work
Part of being visible is getting out there and meeting new people. Network with those in your industry, your profession, your trade and even your office. The more colleagues you can bounce ideas off of, share frustrations with, or reach out to if your role changes suddenly, the more confident you’ll feel about your ability to handle whatever comes your way.
Lose the Fear of Asking
Someone once said that you only get what you want if you ask enough people to help you, but how often have you stopped yourself from asking because you’re fear of the response or you thought you ‘knew’ they’d say no? Lose that fear. Boost your confidence by asking. Then ask some more. Then ask someone else. Be persistent with energy, as Ben Franklin says and that fear of asking for what you or your team needs will quickly dissipate, while your results elevate.
Monitor Your Emotions
I know personally that my decisions are less wise, less effective and often one’s I later change, when I make them in a time of high emotions. Certainly, leaders have emotions, too, but monitor how much they come into play. Emotions of anger are often born of fear and if you can boost your confidence and erode the fear, the anger will readily lessen. The key is to catch the emotions before they come out and before they impact the confidence of those you lead.
Don’t Apologize for Who You Are
We’re all the way we are and the way we behave for reasons unique to us and our make-up. If you’re jovial, it could be said there’s a reason for that. If you’re “bull in a china shop” strong, it may be exactly how you need to be given who you are. Embrace and enjoy who you are and stop apologizing for it. There’s a team who needs exactly who you are and if you keep that hidden, that team won’t get very far.
I’m Monica Wofford and that’s your Monday Moment. Have a great week, an even better Monday, continue to work on that Contagious sense of Confidence and of course, stay contagious!
