Leading with a Confidence Mindset
If there’s one trait leaders can never have enough of, it’s confidence.
Think about it. In good times and challenging times alike, team members enjoy working for leaders that view the glass as half full. Leaders with a confidence mindset are understanding that this too shall pass. They acknowledge the importance of encouraging fellow team members to work hard and offer support and guidance. In turn, this allows employees to feel optimistic about the business and confident that they are able to leave a significant mark through their work.
Leading with a confidence mindset matters now more than ever. How can leaders cultivate confidence and keep that belief in themselves going no matter what?
Learn from making mistakes.
I’m starting this post off with everyone’s favorite f-word: failure.
Up until the last decade or so, most leaders were taught it is taboo to talk about failure. One should not bring up past or present mistakes, or even express moments of vulnerability, in the workplace.
This narrative began shifting once leaders started positioning themselves as thought leaders through social media platforms, blog posts, podcasts, and vlogs. Suddenly, it was more than okay to talk about mistakes. Most mistakes, while embarrassing in the moment, are incredibly relatable in retrospect. We learn valuable lessons and are able to apply them to our lives.
Some mistakes even become part of your narrative on the road to success. Walt Disney, for example, was fired from a job at a newspaper because he wasn’t creative enough. Disney moved to Hollywood and founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. Later on, this became the Walt Disney Studio.
Today, making mistakes is par for the learning curve course. Nobody fully knows everything that is to come in the future. What leaders with a confidence mindset do know, however, is that they might make a few mistakes along the way. They’ll learn from it and keep going.
Play to your strengths.
Take a moment to make a list of your strengths. Then, have a trustworthy individual like a mentor or family member create a list of your strengths. Compare and contrast the two lists together. You’re likely to find some overlap and may even be surprised by some of the strengths your confidante sees in you!
Whatever your strengths may be—ranging from flexibility to being a good listener—play to them. Leverage what you know instead of worrying about what you don’t. This helps to create a habit of confidence. It also positions you to be in a unique position where you can stand out. You’ll become known for your strengths, establishing a reputation for being the best of the best.
Get out there.
Self-confidence, in a TEDx Talk from Dr. Ivan Joseph, is the most important skill a person may possess. Joseph says that self-confidence is the belief that you can accomplish anything, despite how difficult the task or the number of odds stacked against you.
Building self-confidence, according to Joseph’s TEDx Talk, requires taking a few important actions. The first is getting away from people that tear you down. The second is ending negative self-talk and choosing words of affirmation.
But the third unspoken action is to get out there. Do what you want to do and moreover, what you believe is right. Do it often and keep practicing, even if you fail or make mistakes along the way. If you don’t say it, believe it, or do it, no one will in your place. Trust that it may take time to make, and leave, behind your impact. Be ready to leave your mark gradually.
