How Leaders Gain Confidence in Themselves and Inspire it in Others

Confidence is a combination of belief in yourself and trust in the world around you. It’s that sense of certainty that you can handle whatever comes your way, combined with faith that the universe will provide what you need to succeed. Confidence is essential to success in leadership because it gives other people the belief that you are capable of leading them. Without confidence, followers won’t follow, and team members won’t trust you to lead them. However, gaining confidence as a leader isn’t easy for everyone. According to research conducted by Gallup Inc., only 32% of employees are confident in their leaders. When asked why they lacked confidence, employees cited things such as lack of trust, fear of repercussions, and pessimism about the future — all factors related to confidence. That is why building up your natural confidence as a leader takes time and effort. Here are some ways that you can do so:

Take Care of Your Mental and Physical Health

Confidence is built on the foundation of self-worth. If you don’t feel worthy of your own self-confidence, then you will have a hard time gaining the trust of others. That’s why taking care of your mental and physical health is essential. If you don’t feel physically and mentally well, it will be hard for you to gain the self-worth necessary to build confidence. Yet many leaders put their health on the back burner because they are so busy with their careers. If you want to gain true confidence, you need to take care of yourself so that your mental and physical health is at its best. That includes getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, and exercising regularly. It also means surrounding yourself with positive people committed to helping you grow as a leader.

Focus on the Things You Can Control

Many people lack confidence in their leaders because they focus on the things they can’t control. If you try to control how other people respond to you, you will always end up disappointed. Instead, it’s important to focus on the things you can control: how you respond to others, how you spend your time, and your attitude. If you focus on these three factors, you will be far better equipped to gain the natural confidence that comes from within. For example, if you feel like your followers don’t trust you, you can’t control that. But you can control how you respond to that situation. You can respond by trying to understand why your followers feel that way. You can also choose how to spend your time and how to handle your own attitude so that you can work toward regaining the followers’ confidence.

Build Relationships with People Who Believe in You

To gain confidence in yourself and inspire it in others, you need to build relationships with people who believe in you. You need people who will challenge, support, love, and accept you for who you are — flaws and all. If you only surround yourself with people who are sycophants who only perpetuate your ideas about yourself, you will never grow as a leader. That’s why building relationships with people who challenge you is crucial. They can help you expand your ideas about yourself and your leadership abilities. They can also help you to work through your fears and anxieties. If you only surround yourself with people who constantly affirm you and your ideas, it will be hard for you to gain the confidence you need to lead others.

Commit to Continuous Learning and Growth

Building up your confidence as a leader is a lifelong journey. That means that you must be committed to continuous learning and growth — not just in your professional life but in your personal life as well. It’s important to learn how to constantly bounce back from failure, handle difficult emotions, and be honest with yourself. It’s also important to learn how to communicate your ideas effectively, manage your time well, and work toward bringing out the best in yourself and others. If you aren’t committed to lifelong learning and growth, it will be hard for you to build up your confidence. That’s because confidence is not something that you gain and hold permanently. You must constantly work at it to stay at the top of your game.

Bottomline

Building up your natural confidence as a leader is a lifelong journey. That means that you must be committed to continuous learning and growth — not just in your professional life but in your personal life as well. It’s important to learn how to constantly bounce back from failure, handle difficult emotions, and be honest with yourself. It’s also essential to learn how to communicate your ideas effectively, manage your time well, and work toward bringing out the best in yourself and others.