Move and Groove 63 - Confidence or Competence?
I had a friend in high school who was highly confident. At our favorite swimming hole, he jumped off the high cliff into the water on first sight.
I would stand on that same cliff, feel the adrenaline, and back off.
He would make others confident that we could do things that we had never done before.
Turns out he had never done it before either!
I would practice skills until I gained confidence, jumping off progressively higher points until I felt like I could jump from the high spot.
Does confidence create competence, or does competence create confidence? Turns out that both are true. Understanding this loop can transform your performance.
Neuroscience Nugget
A study of teachers showed a positive correlation of self-confidence on writing performance (Pajares et al., 1994). That is, if you believe you are good at writing, you write better. Self-confidence in athletes has a positive affect on performance according to a recent meta-analysis of thirty one studies (Jekauc et al., 2023). There was some evidence that high self-confidence mitigates the effects of pressure on performance, affects the competition negatively, and improves physiological response to stress (Jekauc et al., 2023).
However, overconfidence leads to sub-optimal performance. If that gap between competence and confidence is too high, we experience sub-optimal decision making, resulting in poor performance (Fu et al, 2017).
This performance boost creates success experiences that strengthen synaptic connections in the anterior cingulate cortex, the brain region involved in performance monitoring and learning. A study in Nature Neuroscience found that these strengthened neural pathways make future success more likely, creating an upward spiral of improved performance (Ullsperger et al., 2004).
It seems we can can train confidence or competence and the other will improve. More competence turns into increased confidence. More confidence gets you to take action, which improves competence.
Pep Talk
That voice telling you you're not ready? It's running on outdated software.
You can train the confidence/competence loop.
Start by training competence to increase confidence. Pick one skill you want to develop. Start small. Each win reinforces both your capability and your confidence. Your brain literally rewires itself with every successful attempt.
Now, increase competence by taking action with confidence. This sounds easy, but you need to practice to make it natural. Pick a task that has been scaring you and get started on the smallest possible action that moves you toward the goal. Tell yourself "I got this" and know that you can ask for help if you need it.
You may surprise yourself by how far you get. That difficult task you have been avoiding crumbles under your focused attention and action.
Your confidence isn't just feeling good, it's a performance enhancer. When you step into a challenge believing in your ability to handle it, you activate neural networks that improve your actual performance.
Take that project you've been hesitating on. Break it down. Start where you are. Let each small success fuel your next attempt. Your brain is ready to build that upward spiral.
Keep moving and grooving and trust in your self!
Be well,
Eric
P.S. Enjoy these resources on your journey:
Transition Coach for Elite Performers. A thousand lives changed. Former public company exec. Best-selling author. Founder of Normal 40. Podcast host. Pilot. Farm kid. Change agent.
2 天前I love this, Eric Reiners. When doing something new, we all want confidence. The confidence of knowing we’re doing the right thing, we’re making the right trade and we’re on the right path. But change never starts with confidence … it starts with courage. The courage to try. The courage to start. The courage to risk. The courage to be seen doing something today that we weren’t doing yesterday. If you can muster the courage to be seen doing that, you’ll eventually build the confidence and competence to do what’s next. Thanks for letting me #ramble.