Confidence is one of the qualities that absolutely every manager needs. Unfortunately, it is not as easy to acquire and maintain as we would like.
Each person’s level of confidence depends mainly on two things: the way he or she views his or her skills, abilities, and knowledge, and the way others perceive them. If you are constantly comparing yourself to others and you feel that you are lagging behind them – you are not smart enough, you are not successful enough, you are not beautiful enough, etc., you can quickly find yourself in a spiral of negative emotions and feelings to destroy completely your self-esteem.
Here are some confidence facts I’ve learned over the years:
Confidence is not one-sided
Confidence covers a wide range of perceptions, attitudes, feelings, and labels, so you are not doing yourself any favors if you self-identify as insecure. At every moment of our lives, we are completely confident in some things and insecure in others. Get to know yourself better and the things that affect your self-esteem every day.
Appearance is misleading
Many people who seem extremely confident are not more confident in their abilities than others. The difference is that they know very well that they can make a mistake and expose themselves, but at the same time they understand that it is not a matter of life and death. In other words, their external confidence stems from their more realistic expectations and views of life.
Confidence is built through practice
Before you can say with confidence that you have succeeded in something, you need to know what it means to fail. Confidence stems from repeated trials and errors that teach us to be better.
People perceive you the way you perceive yourself
Think about your habits and actions that betray your true feelings and thoughts to others. Even if you think you are hiding your insecurities well, people always feel your level of confidence and base their expectations accordingly. True confidence is hard to falsify – it’s something you have to feel.
When a leader lacks confidence, the consequences are felt by the whole team. Uncertain leaders postpone important decisions, do not share key details about their work, and cannot motivate their employees. After all, how can you expect others to believe in you if you don’t? Get to know your strengths and weaknesses better and start cultivating your confidence.
