All great leaders have built themselves out of a rock solid foundation of confidence. People who have the ability to influence are absolutely confident in their beliefs and their actions. Period.
When you confidently make decisions and lead your team, group or cause, the people around you feed off of that powerful self-belief. They begin believing as you do and look up to you as a source of inspiration and influence.
Your confidence is their manna. It is what sustains them and gives them energy.
We all know ineffectual people often get into management or other leadership roles. But they can not influence. Think about some former bosses or other types of leaders you have had in your life. Many, if not most, were totally inconsequential and marginally successful. That is because leadership without self-confidence does not inspire others.
When a leader’s opinion can be easily swayed or they remain unclear, those that have to follow do not have a lot of confidence in, or respect, for them. Their ability to influence and inspire is practically nonexistent.
Researchers in 1993 (K.A. Ericsson and several others) noted that “confidence and motivation to persist” were more important than any other factors in the “accomplishment of some goal.”
This is why it is monumentally important to display a sense of confidence whenever you interact with your marketplace. Think about the leaders you admire, in and outside your field. These are not wishy-washy, mild-mannered, flip-flopping individuals. Absolutely NOT! They make decisions quickly and decisively. They have a look about them that engenders total trust and belief that they know what they’re doing.
As a leader, you are going to make mistakes. All great leaders and industry influencers do. Mistakes are natural. Don’t get bogged down in thinking, “What if I fail?” That is not the way a confident leader thinks.
Don’t say “maybe”, and “if we’re lucky”, “we’ll try”. Instead say “this will happen”, “we will be successful” and “here is what we are going to do.” Be decisive in your actions, your speech, and any content that you distribute to your marketplace.
Your appearance can make you look self-confident and powerful, or weak-minded and careless.
Your followers need a leader that is confident in his or her ability to direct and influence their actions, and this requires that you believe confidently in everything you do.
BE Confidence. Embody certainty. And you will irresistibly sustain and inspire your tribe.
