Being a confident leader at work and in your personal life can be hard and can come with some challenges. Many factors can lower your confidence, whether it’s mental health, low self-esteem or simply overthinking.
Ultimately, there are many negative aspects that can take over and cause people to feel low. In modern-day society, it can be hard to be confident, especially with the amount of pressure from social media.
You may feel like you are the only leader lacking confidence; however, this is very rarely the case. Many people use the method ‘fake it until you make it’. It can look like they are a very confident person, but they are probably in a similar situation to you and are just trying to be the best possible leader they can be.
There are many qualities that make a good leader; however, if you feel you struggle with your confidence and could benefit from a guide on how to be a confident leader, read on!
How Do Leaders Overcome a Lack of Confidence?
Confidence as a leader is key. This is because a leader with a high level of confidence has a more positive outlook and is willing to take risks in order to reach their goals. If you feel you suffer from a lack of confidence, it is important that you pinpoint the main cause of this.
Ask yourself, ‘Why do I feel this way?’ and try to find out what the problem is. For example, if you suffer from low self-esteem or feel unhappy within yourself (whether it be your appearance or mindset), then, believe it or not, this is the first step to improving your confidence.
Being able to identify the reason behind your lack of confidence is ideal because you can find ways to improve it. If you are someone who thinks poorly or negatively of yourself, you are best off talking to someone or trying to think more positively about things.
Confidence only comes once you are happy with yourself and your life. If you find that you are a negative person or lack self-esteem, then this is bound to have a negative impact on your confidence. Remember, you can only truly be confident once you are happy with yourself.
Leaders who lack confidence are less likely to believe that they can achieve their goals. This is down to their negative perspective about themselves as well as their outlook on life. This type of attitude won’t get leaders very far; in fact, it can be harmful to success and leadership.
However, the good news is that anyone can improve their self-confidence. Very few leaders are born with confidence; in fact, many struggle with their confidence. Here are some more ways you can become a confident leader:
1: Surround Yourself With People Who Believe in You
If you feel you lack confidence, then surrounding yourself with people who believe in you can be a massive help. This is because they will support and encourage you and will be there to pick you up when you fall.
Sometimes all you need is for people or team members to be there for you to remind you of how far you have come and to support you when you need it. Surrounding yourself with negative people will only make you feel worse, which is why you need the right people around you to help inspire and motivate you.
2: Prioritise Self-Recognition
Many of us only focus on the things we do wrong in life. For example, if something goes wrong one day, you are more likely to focus on the negative for the rest of the day instead of looking at the positives.
As a member of the management team, this can harm the rest of the workplace. People rarely focus on what they do well in life and don’t give themselves enough self-recognition.
When you recognise what you do well, you are more likely to think positively and feel more confident. This is because you are able to identify your strengths and how you can improve them.
3: Don’t Dwell on Your Mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes at some point in their lives; no one is perfect. It all depends on how you deal with mistakes and setbacks. If you are more likely to focus on the mistakes you make, you are more likely to get yourself into a rut.
This is why it is important that you don’t let one wrong turn make you feel low or think that you don’t have what it takes to reach your goals. Making mistakes and learning from them is crucial to becoming a confident leader.
Everyone has insecurities, but all that matters is how you deal with them. Instead of taking time to dwell on your mistakes, address the issue and then move on.
Focus on what you do well and give yourself a pat on the back. It’s all about recognising your strengths and weaknesses and how you can improve them.
4: Take Responsibility
As a leader, you have a lot of responsibilities, which means it’s almost impossible to not make mistakes. However, it is important that you don’t blame others when you make mistakes, as this will set a bad example and will only cause more problems.
Instead, take a minute to identify and think about what went wrong and what you can do in the future to prevent it from happening again. This way you are leading by example and can inspire your team members to follow in your footsteps.
5: Be Open to Feedback
There could come a time when your employees provide you with feedback, such as:
- Something you could improve on
- Something they are unhappy with
- Suggestions for improvement
- Constructive criticism
It is important that you don’t react negatively to feedback given to you by your employees because it can take a lot for your employees to voice their opinions. Instead, take into account what they have to say and reflect on what you could do to improve.
If your employees come to you with their opinions, it means that they feel comfortable enough to speak to you. This shows that you are approachable and willing to listen, which is a great step in becoming a confident leader.
MOVE Can Help
Here at Move, we are your go-to for all things personal development. We offer a wide range of services to all kinds of organisations that can help you and your business thrive.
Whether you are a business owner interested in receiving coaching or prefer walking while talking, we have everything you need in one place. Our MOVE netwalking service helps improve your physical and mental well-being. We incorporate walking, networking, and being outside into one event.
This type of service is a great way to improve your confidence as you meet new people as a team. A study shows that walking while interacting with others has a wide range of benefits regarding mental health and alertness.
So, if you feel you could benefit from extra support and guidance to help increase your confidence, Move can help. For more information on the services we offer. Contact us today at 07852 970 718. Alternatively, email us at bookings@move-online.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you!
Mark is a multi-award winner in business networking and relationship building. He is passionate about coaching and mentoring business owners and professionals through 1-1 & group coaching, team performance workshops and group mastermind sessions.