Why develop confident employees when you can reduce them to quivering puddles of self-doubt? Follow these time-tested techniques for turning competent professionals into second-guessing, approval-seeking zombies.
5 Ways to Inspire Self-Doubt in Talented Employees
#1. Criticize Mistakes Like Crimes
Failure builds character, but why bother? Nothing inspires self-doubt like public humiliation.
#2. Ignore Progress.
Focus on Flaws. Your team hits 9 out of 10 targets. Ask about the one they missed. Growth is overrated when you can nitpick.
#3. Make Them Prove Themselves Daily
Yesterday’s win is today’s forgotten memory. Reset the scoreboard every morning. Help them wonder if they’ve ever been good enough.
#4. Keep Belief to Yourself
Never say, “I believe in you.” That might spark hope. Ignore Helen Keller. “Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”
#5. Reward Confidence with Criticism
Dismiss their ideas to remind them who the smartest person in the room is. Not them!
When people speak up, say, “That’s dumb. Anyone else?”
Bonus Tip: When people get nervous or ask for support, accuse them of not being “leadership material.”
Follow this list if you want a team of anxious overthinkers.
What’s one way to inspire self-doubt in talented employees?
Self-Trust: Reconsidering Self-Confidence
3 Powerful Steps Toward Confidence
When You’re Doubting Your Leadership — and Others Are, Too (HBR)
