We’ve all experienced insecure leaders at some point in our professional lives: leaders who are moody, who micromanage, who cannot delegate, who bully and belittle, who have favorites and make life difficult for others.
With all we know about strong leadership today, you might think I’m describing a leader of years past. Not so. I hear stories of damage caused by insecure leaders daily.
On the other hand, we’ve experienced confident leaders who inspire us to stretch, grow, create and produce.
These leaders are sure of themselves and of us; they are engaged, engaging and encouraging. They elevate results not only for their business, but for each of us. We feel great about our individual and collective accomplishments.
At various stages in their careers, leaders can be both insecure and confident.
How does one grow into a masterfully-confident leader? They stay present and pay attention to what’s needed in each situation, each day. They also adhere to what I consider the Top ‘7’ Keys to becoming a more confident leader:
Confident Leaders
- Take Intelligent Risks. Saying what others dare not say and doing what has never been done before is a sign of a confident leader. He/she will courageously take intelligent risks and forge new frontiers – creating opportunities and finding solutions. With each intelligent risk taking, the confident leader becomes more and more confident.
- Are genuine. Authenticity is alluring. It’s exciting to be on a team lead by a leader who shows you their true, unabashed self. They own their wisdom, humor and their unique way of interpreting goals and relating to others.
- Know themselves and their strengths. Confident leaders have taken time to really know who they are, not merely what people expect from them. They know what comes naturally to them, yet may be difficult for others. They know and act upon what inspires them.
- Know their team’s individual strengths. Each individual on their team feels seen, appreciated, and valued. There’s rarely a focus on mistakes or weaknesses, rather on growth, accomplishment, lessons learned and what’s next.
- Take excellent personal care. Confident leaders know what’s vital to maintaining a healthy mind, body and spirit. Time scheduled for these activities is not negotiable.
- Are diverse. Their job is not their whole life. Confident leaders leave work behind at the end of the day to pursue other interests. They trust what they’ve accomplished, and trust those left in charge in their absence.
- Plan ahead. Whether presenting a new project to their board or conducting a difficult discussion with an employee, confident leaders plan ahead. They know what, where and how they’ll present; they know the results they’ll achieve and what next steps to propose.
Without confidence, there is no real leadership. Strong, confident leadership is laced with benefits of optimism, excellent communication skills, integrity, trust, compassion and decisiveness.
I challenge you to rank your leadership skills on the above Top ‘7’ Keys. Which area, if improved, will bring you and your team greater success? Make it happen.
Master Executive and Leadership Coach Ann Golden Eglé, MCC, has steered highly-successful individuals to greater results since 1998. President of Golden Visions & Associates, LLC, Ann can be reached at 541-385-8887 or subscribe to her newsletter at www.GVAsuccess.co
(Photo above | Cascade Business News)
