Leaders with Confidence

Self-confidence is one of the most admired attitudes in a person. Employers want self-confident employees because they usually get the work done even in tight situations. Self-Confident people are open to new ideas and are willing to discuss them even if the new idea is opposed to their own. They are willing to acknowledge their mistakes and then move on to finish the job.

Have you ever wondered that 2 people can read the same books, get the same leadership training and end up with 2 different results? If the training is the same, then the difference has to be with the person. Most of the time that difference is confidence. Confidence is what allows us to take action.

“Self-confidence is rocket fuel for leaders. Used carefully and ignited under the proper conditions, it propels you and those around you to remarkable heights.” (Leadership Caffeine: Is Your Self-Confidence In Danger of Burning Out of Control? August 30, 2009 by Art Petty)

It is all very well know what you need to do as a leader but if you lack confidence, for whatever reason, it may be hard to deliver. Self-confidence- You won't get to the top without it. While confidence in the economy is down, confidence in leadership, their teams, their ability to execute on their vision, organizations have the right people and skills to move themselves forward. As a leader, you need to cultivate your team’s confidence. Your team should have confidence in what they do as well as confidence in your leadership skills.

Much of a leader’s confidence is from experience. Self-confidence is the fundamental basis from which leadership grows. Confidence is the cornerstone of leadership. Do not confuse confidence with self esteem. The latter relates to how you see yourself fundamentally and how you value yourself. Self esteem is more about how you want others to react to you to raise your self worth - you want people to like you.

Not only does confidence allow you to make the tough decisions that people expect from a strong leader but it's reassuring to your employees. It allows you to lead meetings with authority, to accept candor and open communication, and the greater they perceive your force of will, the more faith they will have in your company and its mission. As a leader, consider how well you deliver a company speech. If you deliver it with confidence it inspires your team as intended, but the same speech delivered with doubt becomes a point of mockery.

How confident are you when speaking to your employees and delivering a presentation that sets the company direction for the future? Are they rallying behind you or can they see through your lack of certainty? This is the difference between a confident leader and one who goes through the motions while lacking core convictions.

You can see confidence in leaders who know what they want. They are decisive. They don't mull long over an issue, but they don't rush to snap judgments either. To most people, a leader always seems like he or she knows what to do, regardless of whether a choice is right or wrong.

Passion is the other characteristic of confidence. Passion comes when you find something you love—the job that inspires you to live. Passion will have all your conversations relating back to your love. It will keep you awake, as you mull the perfect solution. With this passion comes confidence, and when people feel this passion in you—and they will—they'll follow you to the goal.

Confidence or “executive presence” involves the ability to enter a room and instantly take charge, through your strong presence, while forging quick, personal connections with the other members of the team. Leaders with confidence or “executive presence” will always command respect and attention when they speak; and their determination and conviction inspires and motivates those around them.

Confidence is the expectation of success. When you expect success, you are willing to put in the effort to achieve it. It's confidence that attracts investment--not just money but time, energy loyalty and commitment. Ultimately what makes a difference in performance is whether people put in the effort--and often the extra effort--to sustain success. When people have confidence they are willing to invest and it is the investment that leads to action that creates high performance. So confidence is a critical missing link. The reason I love sports so much is that you can see it clearly in games. The winner is often behind… they sometimes fumble… they sometimes lose the ball… they sometimes miss a shot and they keep going. They persist, they learn from their mistakes, they learn from their experience, and that is what confidence makes possible.

When you think of the word confident, what comes to mind? One who is confident is a person who can move ahead in a direction that is new with little hesitation. It may take time to make that initial move, but confidence must be present in order for movement to occur. Without confidence, change and action are invisible. Now take this vision to leadership and visualize this: Organizations and people will stay stagnant or in their “rut” unless acted upon by an outside force, also known as a leader. The leader who acts upon an organization requires confidence in his/her ideas or ability in order to take the first steps to make this action. I think you can now see the importance of confidence.

Confidence in leadership is essential. Leaders effect change and they cannot make the changes needed without some level of confidence in their abilities. Be confident and take action based on your confidence level. Have the willingness to take action that gets the results you want. Now go out there: Be decisive, be passionate, and lead away!