Here's how you can cultivate confidence and assertiveness in your software engineering team.

Establishing clear goals is the cornerstone of a confident team. As a software engineering team leader, ensure that each member understands the project's objectives, their individual responsibilities, and the expected outcomes.

Setting clear objectives is one of the bases for instilling confidence and assertiveness in a software engineering team. After all, when it is known by everyone what their specific role in the project will be, there is minimal uncertainty, which leads to confident decision-making. Such clarity not only negates confusion but owning the tasks also encourages team members to show more initiative and collaborate further. A clear direction brings in a sense of purpose that allows one to be more forceful in the presentation of ideas for the development of an innovative, cohesive team.

A very simple and easy thing is to ask - ‘What do you think’ irrespective of the engineer’s experience or level. Encourage everyone on the team to voice out their opinions and create a dialogue to discuss the pros/cons of the ideas. Ensure to call out good behaviours so everyone has an incentive.

Create a safe space where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns without fear of judgment. Regularly scheduled meetings where everyone is invited to contribute can help facilitate this.

An important precursor would be to build an open minded team. While everyone should be included by law, remember that dialogue will not be possible if any of your team members gets offended from everyday conversations, concise data or humor. And could potentially harm your business and clientele. I would advise cultivating emotionally stable individuals / team players so this does not become a future issue. Regardless, leadership breeds culture and with great and case-specific-effort, the somber office can become a wonderful hotbed for innovation and team work.

Confidence within a software engineering team can only be achieved by creating the ground for open discussions, making the environment non-criticizing, so ideas and issues can flow freely from each of the members. You build trust and respect among one another. Ensure regular meetings where everyone is invited to air their views, It will make them feel valued and respected. Where people in a team know their input is valued, they tend not to be afraid to express their thoughts and then work well with each other fueling innovation and reinforcing team bonding.

Supporting autonomy within your team can significantly boost confidence and assertiveness. Allow team members to take ownership of their tasks and make decisions within their scope of work.

Investment in mastery-the key to raising confidence and, consequently, assertiveness within a software engineering team, allows continuous learning through any type of workshop, course, or time dedicated to mastering new technologies. In this way, by deepening their expertise, engineers will be capable of handling more complicated issues and will turn out more confident when they are asked to state their knowledge. It ensures the continuous development of team members and, where applicable, improves group problem-solving capability and self-confidence.

Positive feedback builds confidence and assertion within the team of not only software engineers, but any team. Acknowledging individual and team achievements in a timely and public way reinforces their personal sense of accomplishment and develops belief in themselves. Recognition given to your team will make the individual members confident to handle any challenge. On other occasions, any criticism can be motivating if given constructively, describing growth and learning rather than defeat and failure. This will lead to a balanced approach whereby individuals in the team feel supported both in successes and setbacks, helping to encourage continuous improvement and assertiveness.

The concept is demonstrated in the building of confidence and assertive character in a software engineering team. It gives a sense of responsibility and pride in one's work when ownership of such tasks is with the team members. The autonomy given to an individual to decide, solve problems, and innovate on their own without micromanaging enhances the feeling of a job well done and increases self-trust. The important thing in trusting the abilities of your team is that along with confidence, you will also build proactive decision-making for assertiveness toward overall team success.