Leading with Confidence

Monday, June 1 2020

“I wish I would have done that better.”

“I wish I would have handled that differently.”

“I wish I was more confident in my choices.”

How often have you heard someone, perhaps even yourself, utter these sentiments?

We are human and have feelings, opinions, and thoughts that can help or hinder us; that can build or break our self-confidence.

Consider what can happen when you have done your job well and been promoted to management. You go from “doing” to “managing.”  A study by CareerBuilder.com* shows 58% of managers did not receive any management training. They were often promoted because they were good at what they did, not necessarily skilled at helping the people around them perform better.

In a new and amplified role your confidence can take a nosedive. You may feel like an imposter and second-guess decisions, squeezed between your team who look to you for decisive leadership and your supervisor who demands results.

So now what? How do you turn this around?  You cannot buy confidence or ask someone to lend you theirs. It must start with you. Goal setting is one key tool you’ll need to put yourself on the path to gaining confidence.

Steps to increase your leadership confidence:

  • Ask your manager for feedback about your performance. Go into the meeting prepared, with a list of concerns you have, as well as what you feel you have done well.
  • Ask your direct reports “How can I help? What do you need from me?” Then be quiet and listen. Make notes.
  • Ask your family for feedback. Chances are, they are seeing a change in you as well.
  • Cut yourself some slack and believe in yourself.
  • Give yourself permission to make a few mistakes. They’re going to happen anyway, learn from them and move on.
  • Plan how you will celebrate your successes, even the small ones. Think about how to reward yourself, even if it is just a pat on the back.

Review the data and feedback you have collected during this exercise. Create a SMART goal (Specific, Measurable, Agreed-upon, Realistic, Target date) such as “I am going to increase my confidence from a current level of 3 out of 10 to an 8 out of 10 within one month.”  Visualize the expected results.

Start today to turn your “I wish” into action.  If you need help getting started, reach out to us at The Achievement Centre.

 

*Forbes.com March 2018 article