When you think of a leader, there is a good chance that you think of someone who exudes confidence. To be a leader, you need to inspire confidence in those you lead. Often that confidence presents itself in a trust in your ability to lead and your group actually being successful. So, what happens when you are tasked to lead yet lack confidence? In some cases, leading without confidence can lead to collective failure. Leaders are just like anyone else and their confidence may waiver from time to time. To lead with confidence on a consistent basis it is important to always be striving towards confidence in leadership.
But how can a leader build self-confidence? Though it does take effort, building your self-confidence as a leader can be done. In this article, we will give you our best tips on building your confidence in the realm of leadership. If you think you could use additional support in building your confidence as a leader, a certified life and career coach may be your best bet.
Consider reaching out to Lisa Jeffs. Lisa is the business coach to help you truly dive into building your self-confidence as a leader and taking charge of your career.
Why Do You Need Confidence to Be A Good Leader?
When you are tasked to be a leader, your confidence reflects on the group you lead. If you enter into leadership without confidence or lose confidence along the way, those you lead may pick up on it. This can affect their belief in you as a leader but may also translate to a lack of morale and disinterest in the task at hand.
Leaders do not need to be confident and self-assured all the time. In fact, showing more vulnerable or human traits as a leader can make your team feel more connected to you as a leader and feel a greater sense of trust. But a leader should always strive to inspire confidence and a can-do attitude. Being confident in yourself as a leader will in turn help you to lead others in feeling confident themselves.
How Can A Leader Build Self Confidence?
When it comes to being in a leadership role, there may be times where you are tasked with doing something that has not been done before or challenges your greatly. Even when a goal seems difficult to achieve, it is important that leaders believe in themselves, their team and the task they are striving to complete. Use the following tips to help you learn how to build confidence as a leader.
Get Support – one of the most important things that you can do as a leader to build your confidence is to get support. Look towards a mentor or confidence coach to assist you in recognizing your strengths and working through your doubts. Having a solid support network to help you move past your limiting beliefs and celebrate your success can be crucial for boosting your confidence.
Create a Plan – leading confidently will come easier when you have a plan for not only what you wish to achieve, but also how you will achieve it. Having a clear plan allows you to communicate effectively with your team and also stay on track. Consider using SMART goals and see our previous article “Why Setting Goals Is Crucial to Your Success” for tips on setting goals as a leader.
Allow Others In – having doubts and fears as a leader is normal. Instead of holding onto these feelings, be authentic with your support network and your team too. This may open the door to collaboration and allow you to see your problem from a different perspective. Being a leader is not about barking orders at others. Inspire the confidence of your team and boost your confidence in yourself by allowing others into the decision-making and problem-solving process. A good leader doesn’t assume that they have or need to have all the answers, allow others to be a part of every process.
Know That Failure Is Part of The Process – if your lack of confidence as a leader stems from a fear of failure, you’re not alone. Fearing failure is normal, but a shift in perspective is key to moving past this limiting belief. Try to embrace failure as part of the path to success. See our previous article “How to Deal with Failure” for more tips on how to move past failures and truly succeed.
Celebrate Every Success – acknowledging when you have done something well is a great way to remember that you have done hard things and will do them again. Celebrate your success and the success of your team every step of the way. Consider celebrating failures that have led to progress too. If you struggle with feeling that you have been successful, consider our previous article “How Do People Define Success.”
Know It is OK to Not Always Feel Confident
As a leader, you should always strive towards feeling confident and leading with confidence. But it is important to recognize that you likely will not feel confident all the time. When you are faced with new challenges or come across setbacks, it is normal to have your confidence waiver. The important thing to know is that you can acknowledge your feelings of self-doubt or a lack of confidence and then choose to work past them.
There is much that you can do on your own when learning how to build confidence as a leader, but sometimes it may be helpful to enlist the help of a qualified life coach to help you move past your excuses and self-doubt. A certified life coach such as Lisa Jeffs can help you to identify what is causing your lack of self-confidence and aid you in moving past it.
Try to remember that if you are in a leadership role, you have likely already had great success to get yourself there. You have done and can do hard things and though your confidence may waiver, you are more than capable of being a great leader.
