As a leader in your organization, you must have confidence. That doesn’t mean that you have to be cocky, aloof, and arrogant. No, it means you have to have confidence that when you are called upon to decide, you will decide and move on. Here are five tips to increase confidence.
1. Have it
Make the decision when you begin your day that you will act with confidence no matter what happens. You don’t need to tell your staff or your family that you’re working to increase your confidence. You don’t need a big psychological build-up.
Like Nike says, just do it. Think about a day when everything went great and you crushed it. You felt outstanding. Recall that feeling and have confidence today. I’m not a Notre Dame fan but I know they have a sticker above the locker room door when they leave to go onto the field that says “Play like a champion.” That’s confidence.
2. Act in congruence with your beliefs
When you don’t act in congruence with your beliefs, it is hard to have confidence in yourself. There will always be an internal struggle with what you know is right and how to act. The dissonance with what you believe and how you are acting makes it impossible for you to have confidence.
When you act in congruence with your beliefs, confidence becomes effortless. You won’t hesitate because there won’t be any doubt about what to do in any situation. Make sure you are leading based upon your beliefs, values, and who you are.
3. Gain competence in the areas you lead
Remember when you learned how to ride a bike. At first, you were wobbly and unsure. Then as you practiced, you became more stable and soon you were excelling. This is called the competence-confidence loop.
Maybe you have to gain more competence in the areas you lead. How can you accomplish this? You can spend time with your employees learning what they do. You can ask Dr. Google and spend 100 hours learning on YouTube. There are many ways to gain more competence. Learning is one thing but you have to…
4. Gain momentum through action
It’s great to learn about something, but you have to gain momentum by doing. That’s the only way you will gain more confidence. Put what you learn into practice. I get you don’t have 10,000 hours to become an expert, but you can gain competence in quickly by doing.
5. Develop a team of supporters
If you don’t have a team of supporters, go find them. Maybe there are business-related groups you can join. Look at toastmasters if you believe you could improve in public speaking. Learn how to receive compliments. This is hard to do for many people, me included.
Here’s a tip. When someone compliments you say “I hear you and receive your compliment and thank you very much.” That’s it. It’s a brilliant way to acknowledge the gift they gave you.
As always, it is an honor to serve you, and I hope that you and your company are getting better every day!
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