Leaders with Confidence

Self-confidence is one of the most admired attitudes in a person. Employers want self-confident employees because they usually get the work done even in tight situations. Self-Confident people are open to new ideas and are willing to discuss them even if the new idea is opposed to their own. They are willing to acknowledge their mistakes and then move on to finish the job.

Have you ever wondered that 2 people can read the same books, get the same leadership training and end up with 2 different results? If the training is the same, then the difference has to be with the person. Most of the time that difference is confidence. Confidence is what allows us to take action.
“Self-confidence is rocket fuel for leaders. Used carefully and ignited under the proper conditions, it propels you and those around you to remarkable heights.” (Leadership Caffeine: Is Your Self-Confidence In Danger of Burning Out of Control? August 30, 2009 by Art Petty)

It is all very well know what you need to do as a leader but if you lack confidence, for whatever reason, it may be hard to deliver. Self-confidence- You won't get to the top without it. While confidence in the economy is down, confidence in leadership, their teams, their ability to execute on their vision, organizations have the right people and skills to move themselves forward. As a leader, you need to cultivate your team’s confidence. Your team should have confidence in what they do as well as confidence in your leadership skills.

Much of a leader’s confidence is from experience. Self-confidence is the fundamental basis from which leadership grows. Confidence is the cornerstone of leadership. Do not confuse confidence with self esteem. The latter relates to how you see yourself fundamentally and how you value yourself. Self esteem is more about how you want others to react to you to raise your self worth - you want people to like you.

Not only does confidence allow you to make the tough decisions that people expect from a strong leader but it's reassuring to your employees. It allows you to lead meetings with authority, to accept candor and open communication, and the greater they perceive your force of will, the more faith they will have in your company and its mission. As a leader, consider how well you deliver a company speech. If you deliver it with confidence it inspires your team as intended, but the same speech delivered with doubt becomes a point of mockery.

How confident are you when speaking to your employees and delivering a presentation that sets the company direction for the future? Are they rallying behind you or can they see through your lack of certainty? This is the difference between a confident leader and one who goes through the motions while lacking core convictions.

You can see confidence in leaders who know what they want. They are decisive. They don't mull long over an issue, but they don't rush to snap judgments either. To most people, a leader always seems like he or she knows what to do, regardless of whether a choice is right or wrong.

Passion is the other characteristic of confidence. Passion comes when you find something you love—the job that inspires you to live. Passion will have all your conversations relating back to your love. It will keep you awake, as you mull the perfect solution. With this passion comes confidence, and when people feel this passion in you—and they will—they'll follow you to the goal.

Confidence or “executive presence” involves the ability to enter a room and instantly take charge, through your strong presence, while forging quick, personal connections with the other members of the team. Leaders with confidence or “executive presence” will always command respect and attention when they speak; and their determination and conviction inspires and motivates those around them.

Confidence is the expectation of success. When you expect success, you are willing to put in the effort to achieve it. It's confidence that attracts investment--not just money but time, energy loyalty and commitment. Ultimately what makes a difference in performance is whether people put in the effort--and often the extra effort--to sustain success. When people have confidence they are willing to invest and it is the investment that leads to action that creates high performance. So confidence is a critical missing link. The reason I love sports so much is that you can see it clearly in games. The winner is often behind… they sometimes fumble… they sometimes lose the ball… they sometimes miss a shot and they keep going. They persist, they learn from their mistakes, they learn from their experience, and that is what confidence makes possible.

When you think of the word confident, what comes to mind? One who is confident is a person who can move ahead in a direction that is new with little hesitation. It may take time to make that initial move, but confidence must be present in order for movement to occur. Without confidence, change and action are invisible. Now take this vision to leadership and visualize this: Organizations and people will stay stagnant or in their “rut” unless acted upon by an outside force, also known as a leader. The leader who acts upon an organization requires confidence in his/her ideas or ability in order to take the first steps to make this action. I think you can now see the importance of confidence.

Confidence in leadership is essential. Leaders effect change and they cannot make the changes needed without some level of confidence in their abilities. Be confident and take action based on your confidence level. Have the willingness to take action that gets the results you want. Now go out there: Be decisive, be passionate, and lead away!

Power of Leadership Influence

The task of a leader is to get people from where they are to where they have not been.” Henry Kissinger

You were just named leader in your organization. As the person with expertise that can benefit the company, how can you get others to see your perspective and get them to realize your influence as a leader? How important is it that you develop the traits of a significant influential leader? There are many instances in any business organization, when just one person can make a significant difference to the level of success that their company achieves.

Specific qualities or characteristics stand out the most when viewing influential people. First and foremost are people who have the most influence display a high degree of integrity. (Below is a listing of the qualities or characteristics of being an influential leader.)

Influence is when you effectively alter someone else’s perceptions, views, beliefs, attitudes, and decisions thus altering their actions. The expert influencer understands people, how they think, what makes them tick and how to get on the same wavelength.

There are many approaches a leader can take, and to some degree or another they will produce the results you want. Without influence, the leader cannot get things done. What kind of influencer are you?

Leadership has traditionally been defined as getting people to follow your vision. Today’s leaders must frequently lead through influence- a more subtle yet powerful approach to getting things done. A leader of influence is one who will work to remove obstacles that prevent people from performing effectively, and open the door to creating a trusting and rewarding environment where their people are willing to go the extra mile.

The leader becomes the conduit of ideas being implemented as many of their ideas, innovations and creativity from their employees. These same leaders are recognized by the decisive actions they have taken and the results they have achieved. They inspire their company by having the innovative ideas that will create dramatic changes to the success of their business.

Your credibility is a key to achieving greater influence. It is not enough to be an expert on a subject matter. You must also be perceived as an expert. That perception comes from how you carry yourself and interact with others on the subject and in every other way as well. Credibility is a combination of expertise and trustworthiness.

If you influence people for your own gain, that will be seen as manipulation. Positive influence can only take place when it presents clear benefits to everyone involved.

People who are good Influential Leaders:

• Are very good thinkers and analysts
• Ask powerful questions, make informed decisions and influence outcomes
• Empower others with some decision making and accepting accountability
• They listen carefully to other’s ideas and points of view before deciding to respond.
• Are people who display a high degree of integrity
• Focus on long term goals of the organization instead of short term gains or wins
• Focus on the end goal and know there are many different ways to get there
• Manage their egos
• Are aware of their weaknesses and actively finds ways to manage them
• Are not afraid to make decisions that challenge the status-quo
• Let others shine
• Assesses risk realistically
• Are Tough
• Demand that others think and use their brains to their full potential

The influential leader works to develop the people –centered skills that are decisive in bringing out the best that others have to offer. Define your vision, goals and how you “paint the picture” while undergoing change is one way that makes you an influential leader. Engage your employees by communicating how their abilities are envisioned within the entire organization for its success.

“Influential Leaders do not control people with bureaucratic systems and
Procedures, they free them up to create and innovate thereby maximizing
Their contribution to the organization.”- David McNally

Gaining influence over people is essential to your success as a leader. How do you define yourself as an influential leader? As an influential leader, or becoming one, how are you going to close the gap with what you do not have to be influential?

All leaders can get people to achieve, but influential leaders get people to want to achieve. By understanding how, they can cultivate an environment that is collaborative, trusting, open and sharing. It is only these leaders who will motivate, inspire and encourage wholehearted engagement.

Remember, Influential Leadership is not a one size fits all approach. Everyone has their own unique way about them that gives them an influence. It just depends on how you use what skills you possess.

“There are 3 types of leaders: Those who make things happen; those who watch things happen; and those who wonder what happened.” – Anonymous

Which one are you?