So you want to be a more confident leader? Great! I'll help you do that in five simple and easy steps. If you start using these steps today, you'll be more confident at effective at work. Here's your guide to being more confident.
Level up your agile and get professional training.
These are the five steps to being more confident. We won’t cover all of them in detail, but we will provide helpful tips and tricks to make you successful at work.
- Do your research
- Measure your progress
- Get support
- Find a mentor
- Have fun
First, do your research and know what you're talking about. You can't confidently speak about something unless you know what you're talking about.
This is a particularly important step if you are starting a new job, or getting ready to speak in public.
Second, find a way to measure your progress. For example, if you are running for office, share your poll numbers with your supporters.
Third, get support. When you are leading your team or a group of people, make sure you let them know they are empowered to support you and give you feedback on how you can be more effective.
Fourth, find someone to mentor you. A mentor will help you by giving you feedback and help you get the most out of your skill and leadership abilities.
Fifth, have some fun.
A cheerful attitude and ability to have fun is a hallmark of a confident leader.
Let's explore a few ways you can know the details of your job better.
You must know the details of your job at work, and be sure of your facts.
That means if you're headed into a meeting, know what you're talking about.
That means if you're asked to head a project that could have a big budget impact, take the time to learn the details, and have the facts at hand.
Never bluff, or try to bluff your way through a situation. People will see right through that.
If you are leading a team of people it's important to have a good grasp on the details of your team and to know their skill set.
You'll also want to have a good understanding of the competencies that will help your team achieve success.
That means if you want your team to be more customer-focused, create a competency that encourages your team to make customers feel important, spend more time listening to customers, and are quick to resolve problems.
This is especially important if you are in a leadership position, where your team may be bigger than just a few people.
It's also very important if you are in a leadership position, where you're in the public eye, or where you have a career where you'll be in the public eye.
Know what you're talking about.
This is especially important when you're speaking in public.
It's important to make sure your message is clear, so you don't get tripped up.
This is especially true if you're speaking in public and have a number of critics, or if you're being interviewed.
You want to be prepared for the worst.
It's important that you're prepared if you are in a situation where you're going to be judged.
When unexpected situations come up, you want to be prepared to deal with them.
For example, if you're a leader and the team comes to you with news that they have lost a customer, you should be prepared to help them focus on what went right (so they learn and improve) instead of what went wrong (so they remain stressed).
Find someone to mentor you.
No matter your skill level, knowing how to learn effectively will help you get a lot more out of your skills.
If you want to improve your sales, go talk to the best salespeople.
If you can't find anyone in person, there are also plenty of online resources to help you learn.
And I bet that soon enough, you'll find a mentor who will be willing to share some of their expertise with you.
When was the last time you asked your coworkers or your boss for feedback?
But you need to be specific about the kind of feedback you want.
It's OK to ask for praise and compliments.
But if you want to get the most out of your employees, you need to know what's wrong, instead of what's right.
But to be a great leader means you'll need to accept negative feedback including the mistakes you've made, and this can be hard. Have thick skin and keep an open mind.
If you really want to be a better leader, it will take hard work on your part. You need to put in the work and be open to pain, setbacks, and growth. Learning comes through struggle.
Conclusion
In today’s post, we learned how you could be more confident. Tips include
- Being prepared
- Doing your research
- Being humble
- Asking for feedback
- Committing to continuous self-improvement at work
Don’t forget to join our free agile class before you go so you can learn to lead in a fast-paced business world.