Confidence. It’s something that most of us realize we need, and many of us wish we had more of. We watch our colleague who strides into the room as if he owns it, and wonder, “How did he get like that? How can I get like that?” We listen to our boss’s boss during a meeting and are in awe of her confidence level. We assume we can never achieve that level of confidence because, face it, we know what we bring to the table.

Confidence is a necessary leadership skill. That’s a fact. Many people believe that you have to be born with confidence, or possess it as an inherent trait. Luckily, that’s not true. In fact, as noted in this Inc.com blog post by Minda Zetlin, research has shown that being shy and cautious is the natural human state.

Zetlin offers thirteen tips to becoming more confident, from a book by Becky Blalock – Dare: Straight Talk on Confidence, Courage, and Career for Women in Charge. Tips that resonate with Thoughtful Leadership™, such as:

  • Begin at the end – know what you want and where you want to be. Know what you want to get from each and every situation, so that you can be more likely to get it.
  • Breathe – it’s simple, breathing calms us down and wakes us up. We need to remember to breathe.
  • Start with gratitude – Blalock suggests we start our day with gratitude, to put us in the right frame of mind. We suggest you start and end with gratitude, as well as pepper it throughout your day. It can never hurt.

In addition, here are a few more ways to increase your confidence:

  • Get feedback – talk with trusted colleagues or your boss and get feedback on what you could improve, and especially on what you do well. Then own what you do well – notice it yourself, be proud of it, and let it build your confidence.
  • Try something new – when we try something new and succeed, our confidence soars. And when we try something new and do less than succeed, we can still be proud of our attempts and our learning. Let yourself try something new and see what it does to boost your confidence.
  • Reflect on past accomplishments – own what you’ve accomplished. Let it fuel you and your belief in yourself.
  • Reflect on past failures – own what you’ve failed at and what you’ve learned. Let yourself realize that even if you fail at an attempt, life goes on and you’ve gotten better and stronger.

There are many ways to increase your confidence, once you set your mind to it. Try some of these simple steps and allow yourself to soar.

Click here to let us know how you’ve built your confidence.

If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.


For support in building your confidence, contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.

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