Leadership and Confidence… What you need to know

A key driver of effective leadership is confidence. When you have the ability to possess leadership and exhibit confidence it will have a measurable impact on your ability to lead well.

A leader can learn to become an effective problem solver, make solid decisions, have better conversations, coach, mentor and hold their teams accountable. A leader who lacks confidence will find it difficult to lead others and build trust. Leadership without trust is truly like a house on a foundation of sand.

Confident leaders do not need to be overly aggressive to get their goals accomplished. It is natural to trust people more when they appear confident. Dealing with a confident individual assures us that the individual is also competent.

Self-confidence is a greater asset than skill, experience or even knowledge. Lack of confidence makes it difficult to make tough decisions, head meetings authoritatively, get people to communicate with you candidly and be open to feedback.

So here's what you need to know…

Confident leaders think differently

They don't think like others because they have a road map of where they are going, what they want to attain and how they want to empower others. They understand different "what if" situations and how they will handle them. They think before making any decisions and looking at all sides of the situation. Once they know which directions to take, they lead and others follow.

Leaders accept their strengths and failures in a constructive and balanced manner

Fear of failure often stops people from doing things they really want to do. Many entrepreneurs, leaders have failed on their journey to success and have gone on to achieve great things because they never gave up. Take for example Bill Gates and Walt Disney, they are some of the greatest leaders who hold themselves accountable. They understood that persistence is the key and failure is a lesson on how to manage adversity. Failure taught them about reinvention, rejuvenation of themselves and ultimately helped shaped them as leaders. They kept pushing forward which enable them to be better leaders to build their legacies.

Leaders admit and accept their mistakes, they apologize for them and have the courage to correct them. Individuals that are in a leadership position and lack confidence often never acknowledge their mistakes. Instead, they deflect attention to others when they do. I believe that when leaders take responsibilities for their actions, and take ownership for their mistakes instead of blaming others, it speaks to their character.

Leaders are aware

Leaders who are self-aware, they understand their strengths and weaknesses and are continuously working to improve themselves, their minds, their body, and their soul. They are intentional with their actions and see their weakness as an opportunity for growth. When leaders are aware and intentional, they achieve a higher level of results. When they are aware, they know how they show up, they know the effect they have on others which help them to be more mindful. They understand that being aware is a great quality and is the best predictor of success. They also show gratitude and give praise and recognition where it is due.

Confidence and leadership go hand in hand. A confident leader is not an arrogant one, instead, one who has a clear roadmap for themselves, engages, inspires and helps others develop themselves while enabling them to create a better future not just today but for tomorrow.

Want to become a more confident leader? Here are 4 steps

1. Reflect on your failures- embrace them, learn from them and move on.

2. Listen openly- Foster an open line of communication with others.

3. Correct your mistakes- Admit, Apologize and Correct them.

4. Believe in Yourself. Know that you are capable.

“When the leader lacks confidence, the followers lack commitment." -John C Maxwell