You are looking to build your leadership pipeline and are considering two people to put on the path to higher levels of leadership and responsibility.
One is Raymond. He has demonstrated the skills that you look for, has a variety of experiences relevant to your needs, and has the desire to advance and grow. Not only that, but you also see that his potential is at least as exciting as his past accomplishments.
But…
He seems to lack confidence in his actions and decisions, and ultimately himself. Even though the decisions he makes have generally good outcomes, and he knows this, he remains tentative and lacks self-assurance.
The other is Ramone. He has also demonstrated the skills you are looking for in a leader in your organization. He also has a broad setoff relevant experience and has expressed the desire to take on new challenges and responsibilities. And Like Raymond, you believe he has tremendous potential.
And…
He has a quiet sense of confidence. While confident, he is humble, curious and ready to learn. He believes in himself, but no one you talk to considers him arrogant.
Chances are you want both to remain on your team, but which would you point to first, promote first, and have the higher regard for?
Ramone would be your first choice, right?
This little lesson reminds us that healthy confidence is a critical criterion in picking leaders and forecasting future success.
Yet we too often underestimate the role of and importance of confidence in leadership success.
While leadership is a complex role, to be successful leaders need to know the tools, processes, approaches and skills that help them, and their teams succeed. They also need the confidence to apply those tools, processes and approaches in real life.
In my experience in working with leaders across the world in a wide variety of industries, both inputs - knowledge and confidence - are often lacking. When organizations decide to invest in the development of their leaders to be more proficient, which of those inputs do they typically focus on?
At least 90% of the time, the focus is on knowledge.
It is understandable to start with knowledge – how can people build healthy confidence in anything without a basis in knowledge? The problem isn’t deciding to start with tools and approaches. The problem is assuming that giving people a toolkit is a guarantee the tools will be used.
To move past “this is how to do it” to “doing it” requires confidence.
This conundrum doesn’t apply only to leaders and the skills they need. But the need for confidence is especially important for leaders because their role is complex, they are a bellwether for the confidence of their teams, and the desire for success is high.
This article isn’t about the models or approaches that you might teach (though I have opinions and have successful approaches we can help your organization and leaders with). Rather, let’s talk about how we can help bolster the confidence of your leaders in a specific skill or help them build their overall confidence.
Acknowledge the gap. Help people see that confidence is a key to their success. Help people see that knowledge isn’t all they need.
Share the confidence/competence loop. The confidence/competence loop shows that if we have enough confidence to try things, we have the chance build our competence, which reinforces and further strengthens our confidence. We don’t have to start with a lot of either one, but the reinforcement loop will predictably build both. Helping people have enough confidence to try is one way to start this self-reinforcing loop spinning.
Give people a safety net. The work of leaders is visible and consequential. Both factors can make people more tentative when trying (new) things. Help people start small and let them know that if they fail, it will be ok. When people know a mistake isn’t career-limiting, the are more likely to try.
Grant grace and patience. To help the confidence/competence look work, we need to be patient. If we can provide patience to leaders as they are trying/building skills, you help them progress more quickly and continue to build confidence.
Encourage more. We all know that encouragement helps build confidence. We do it with our kids. Remember to do that with others too – including leaders. Remember adults are just kids in big bodies -and need encouragement too – even if it doesn’t seem like it.
Take small steps. Several of the steps above imply this important one. A leader’s future will seldom be sabotaged in one moment or with one action. Help people apply the tools in small ways. Help them master skills on smaller, less complex situations, and both confidence and competence will begin to grow.
If you are serious about building the confidence of your leaders, ask yourself these questions:
Which of these steps are happening in your organization?
Which are missing?
Answering, and acting on your answers, to those two questions are the best ways to begin bolstering the competence and confidence of your leader’s ability to lead successfully in your organization.
If you want further help in building the confidence and competence of your leaders, check out my latest book, Flexible Leadership: Navigate Uncertainty and Lead with Confidence.
