10 Powerful Strategies to Build Your Confidence
(Photograph courtesy of NASA Langley Research Center)
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Repeating the past in a changing world makes you irrelevant and insignificant. Employing old strategies in new situations tends toward failure.
Transition, turbulence, and change test leadership-confidence.
Danger and beauty:
The danger of confidence is quantity – too little paralyzes; too much and you’re an arrogant fool with a closed mind.
The beauty of confidence is lower stress and quiet boldness both in you and those around you.
True competence:
Confidence connects to competence through past performance. Competency during turbulence, however, is the ability to adapt – not repeat – in order to create the future.
Confident leaders:
- Prepare for uncertainty, challenge, and opportunity. They don’t have all the answers – they establish predeterminedprocesses and procedures for finding answers.Know your response to tough situations before they occur. What is your response to challenging questions, for example. Hint: Don’t give solutions immediately.
- Know confidence and certainty are different. Certainty focuses on outcomes and outcomes aren’t always certain. Confidence focuses on process and next steps. Hint: Your next step is usually too big if it traps you; take a smaller one.
- Remain calm; they aren’t frantic they’re focused. Hint: Ask hard questions; avoid accusations.
- Believe they can change things through others. Hint: Great teams build confidence.
- Keep curiosity alive. You don’t know now but believe you’ll find out. Hint: Keep asking hard questions.
- Embrace mistakes. Peter Mcintyre wisely said, “Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.” Hint: What are we learning? (Notice “learning” not “learned”)
- Move forward with imperfect knowledge. Reject perfectionism while pursuing excellence. Hint: Focus on the best available solution.
- Prepare cautiously – execute boldly. Hint: Don’t second guess.
- Display good posture. Hint: Stand tall.
- Express gratitude and give compliments. Hint: Focus on the best in others.
How do you face uncertainty?
What is the impact of too little or too much confidence?
Dan,
‘Focus on the best possible solution.’ Waiting for perfection paralyzes us. These are wonderful and liberating words we need to live by every day.
With some terror and having never read an ebook, (embarrassing to admit) I have just written an ebook. Every step of the way I had to consider the options, and try and focus on the what seemed to be the best possible solution.
Outcome? I’m filled with gratitude that I had the courage to keep moving forward, forgiving myself for mistakes along the way.
Dauna Easley
Dauna,
Beautiful comment. Your story perfectly illustrates the danger of perfectionism. Perfectionists don’t get much done.
“Forgive myself for mistakes along the way.” — powerful. And I think, forgiveness must be an important component to confidence.
Thanks for sharing your story,
Dan
This is helpful for me today. I am currently trying to my company solve a problem that none of seems to be able to come up with the right solution for. A reminder not to keep looking for the perfect solution but to excecute the best solution boldly without looking back is important. As is the reminder that I’d we make a mistake it is a learning experience and not a regret.
Bonnie,
Thank you for consistently leaving helpful comments!
Thank you for bringing your context to this post. It’s always great to have real life experiences as encouraging illustrations.
Best,
Dan
Hmm, wonder if there is a logic flaw in looking for the ‘perfect’ solution? 😉 Any step, even a misstep, is better than no step.
Dear Dan,
I like the ideas about confidence and certainty. Certainty leads to complacency and confidence takes you to opportunistic zone. One must have courage to face uncertainty. When leaders take courage, it instils curiosity and hence strengthens belief. I believe, belief is the core of confidence. The other element of increasing confidence is acceptance of mistakes and weaknesses. Leaders should unlearn when they face uncertain situations. Confident people have high morale. Less confident leaders have low morale. So, to increase confidence, one needs to create climate of morale motivators.
Dear Ajay,
I always take something with me after reading your insights.
“Confident people have high morale.” Makes me think we should focus more on confidence building than morale building!
You have my best,
Dan
Great post Dan. I love the thought-provoking questions you bring.
How do I face uncertainty? Comtemplating on the fact that the future is never certain brings me comfort in knowing that our actions always have the potential to impact and shape the future.
Too much confidence? We may be seen coming off as arrogant, and this doesn’t inspire or help others very well..sets a poor example.
Too little confidence? These may make for a good learning experience!
Ryan,
I’m thankful you are a regular here. I frequently hear how the comments help LF readers. I’m sure yours do.
“The future is never certain” might be a bitter pill but you help us see that its an opportunity. Thank you!
Best regards,
Dan
PS thank you for sharing these posts on twitter. You support encourages me.
Dear Dan,
Liked your saying “Competency during turbulence, however, is the ability to adapt – not repeat – in order to create the future.” Absolutely true and seems that you have enough of corporate experience.
Uncertainty can be handled with prior good preparations and readiness to face the likely new challenging situation by remaining truthful and honest to yourself. Always bring the confidence factor to a convincing level to tackle the future with adequate planning and trusting the people around.
Well the picture caught me and did the job nicely as it pulled me in to read a great post. Had to pin it as there is so much worth sharing here. Confidence, lost so easily, many times leaving without so much as a whisper. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in the sports arena when we see what one goal can do to a whole team. The points you make (that do require a growth mindset) are so apt all around today, not just in leadership but in all humanity. Thanks Dan, as always you are right on point.
Great post Dan! Such a strong message. Just a great list and I especially liked “remain calm” and “embrace mistakes”. Thanks again for your insight.
Reblogged this on Sell, Lead, Succeed! and commented:
I have been following Dan Rockwell’s content on Twitter for quite some time, and enjoyed a post over the weekend on WordPress. I love the fact that his posts are 300 words are less, and are very insightful. Check out these 10 powerful strategies to build your confidence!
Excellent list! 🙂
G’day Dan,
I suspect it’s worth adding.
11. Are happy to develop those around them, even if it means they may pass them on the corporate ladder. Insecurities can be a killer of this.
I’ve always found developing those around you to be immensely rewarding – they improve and grow – you learn just as much as coach/mentor – because you’ve developed your replacement you can typically move up the corporate ladder yourself.
Rob
A timely reminder and boost. I start a new job tomorrow and will be addressing my staff for the first time in my new role. The impact of a leader’s confidence cannot be overstated. Sometimes you have to fake it until you make it. Your list breaks it down to digestible nuggets and I appreciate the help it will no doubt give me.
This rings true and it goes hand in hand with courage to keep the course and trusting procedures and team members
Dan,
Inspiring article. Remaining calm and embracing mistakes, I feel, is the best advice that many should take.
That is great advice especially for those who have too much confidence. I have seen management with too much confidence not acknowledge mistakes they have made, causing staff to alienate them and disregard any suggestions they make.
This is also great advice for individuals like myself who are graduates and new to the workforce.
Thanks for the post!
Vanesa
Nice Blog, Thanks for sharing, good strategies 🙂