Five signs your team are suffering with confidence issues

The first thing to acknowledge here is that running a business is fricking hard. You have all the plates spinning, and yes, this is another plate I am going to throw in your direction.

In my own businesses there is enough plate-spinning simply in the 'doing' of the business; planning, evaluating, troubleshooting, budgeting, trialling, networking, innovating etc.

Bringing in a team of people to help with those challenges can feel daunting, not least because of the wage burden, but also because of adding the extra job of being a 'Work Mum/Dad' to that long list of 'doings'.

However, growth most often relies on our teams. Our humans.

Without them we bottleneck and stagnate.

We look to our people for creativity, reliability, expertise and loyalty, however, humans are emotional, hormonal, complex, unique beings who bring with them their own skills, experiences, beliefs, challenges and opportunities.

What we really need from our people is resilience, resourcefulness, compassion, self-awareness and emotional intelligence. A tough ask when statistics show that around 80% of people suffer with some sort of Imposter Syndrome or confidence issue; and it is hard to exhibit these valuable qualities when your mind is preparing to fight or flight.

But, is the confidence of your team really your concern?

Well, if it isn't already, then it should be.

Increased confidence levels quieten our minds, lead to better overall energy levels, boosted motivation, increased creativity, better communication, deeper connection with others, effective troubleshooting, greater focus and overall happiness.

Sounds good to me!

But how can you tell if your team are low in the confidence department?

1. There is little challenge or questioning during team discussions. If your team are quietly agreeing with everything that is being said, this might not be the best news. Most people will have an opinion or an idea to throw into the pot, but not speaking up might signify that they are doubting themselves, or don't feel safe sharing their views in that space.

2. Team members aren't asking for what they need/want. Whether this is during appraisal or 1:1 meetings, or on a more generic day-to-day level, individuals might be holding back on asking for what they need and/or want. That could be from their working hours or money, to resources in their role. These conversations might feel confrontational and/or selfish to someone who is doubting themselves.

3. Problems escalate further than they need to. If you feel like you are playing whack-a-mole with problems in your business, it may be that your staff don't feel confident raising the growing issue earlier. They may be doubting their own judgement, or feel they are not important enough to bring it to your attention.

4. There is minimal innovation happening. If people don't feel like their ideas are very good, or that they (as individuals) have little value unless their ideas are game-changers, then they will be reluctant to bring any ideas to the table at all. At least not until they are certain that they are brilliant ideas! If there are few (if any) new ideas coming from your team, it is likely that there are some confidence issues that need addressing.

5. Team members are constantly looking for reassurance. Everyone likes to feel like they have done a good job, but are your team members confident they have done a good job unless you reassure them? How we fill silences is a great indicator of where our mindset sits, and people with low confidence and self-esteem will often assume no praise or reassurance means they have been 'found out' or have not done a good enough job.

Confidence is a tricky little sucker, and one business leaders can often overlook. It is easily done, especially as lots of people are very good at masking their low confidence through avoidance, pleasing, over-achieving, being overly confrontational, quick to blame others, or telling you what you want to hear.

However there are huge losses in time, money and opportunity in not addressing and investing in the confidence of your team.

If this topic resonates with you, please get a FREE copy of my '5 Ways to Boost Team Confidence' PDF and worksheet by using THIS LINK. I share my five top, tried and tested tips as well as provide some space for you to reflect on your own team.

If you would like to know more about this topic and how I can help, please drop me an email at [email protected], or connect with me here on LinkedIn.