What do you do if your confidence is lacking in nonprofit leadership roles?

1 Identify your strengths and values

One of the first steps to building confidence is to recognize your own strengths and values. What are the skills, talents, and experiences that make you a good leader? What are the core values that guide your decisions and actions? Write them down and review them regularly. Remind yourself of your achievements and contributions to your organization and your cause. Celebrate your successes and learn from your failures. By focusing on your positive attributes, you can reinforce your self-esteem and confidence.

2 Seek feedback and support

Another way to boost your confidence is to seek feedback and support from others. Ask for constructive feedback from your peers, mentors, staff, board, or donors. Find out what they appreciate about your leadership, what they think you can improve, and how they can help you grow. Listen to their perspectives and suggestions with an open mind and a growth mindset. Thank them for their input and act on it. Also, seek support from people who can encourage, inspire, and challenge you. Join a network, a community, or a mastermind group of other nonprofit leaders who can share their experiences, insights, and advice. Connect with a coach, a mentor, or a role model who can guide you, motivate you, and hold you accountable.

3 Set realistic and meaningful goals

A third step to building confidence is to set realistic and meaningful goals for yourself and your organization. Goals can help you clarify your vision, focus your efforts, and measure your progress. However, if your goals are too vague, too ambitious, or too irrelevant, they can undermine your confidence and performance. Therefore, make sure your goals are SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Break down your big goals into smaller, manageable steps. Track your results and celebrate your milestones. Adjust your goals as needed based on your feedback and learning. By setting realistic and meaningful goals, you can boost your confidence and impact.

5 Step out of your comfort zone

A fifth step to building confidence is to step out of your comfort zone and try new things. Your comfort zone is the range of situations, activities, and tasks that you are familiar and comfortable with. However, staying in your comfort zone can limit your learning, growth, and potential. To boost your confidence, you need to challenge yourself and stretch your abilities. You can do this by taking on new projects, learning new skills, exploring new opportunities, or facing your fears. By stepping out of your comfort zone, you can discover new aspects of yourself, expand your horizons, and increase your self-efficacy.

6 Be authentic and compassionate

A sixth and final step to building confidence is to be authentic and compassionate with yourself and others. Authenticity means being true to yourself, your values, and your purpose. It means expressing yourself honestly, openly, and respectfully. It means aligning your actions with your words and your goals. By being authentic, you can build trust, credibility, and rapport with your stakeholders and followers. Compassion means being kind, empathetic, and supportive of yourself and others. It means acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses, your successes and failures, your joys and pains. It means forgiving yourself and others for mistakes and offering help and guidance. By being compassionate, you can foster a positive, collaborative, and resilient culture in your organization and your sector.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?