Leaders are often confused by how they can exhibit self-confidence in their workplace while not portraying themselves as better than others.
Leaders can do the following things to increase their self-confidence while remaining humble. Self-confident leaders:
- Speak up during meetings. They don’t monopolize the discussion but aren’t fearful or reticent to offer their opinions in a group setting.
- Address individual or team concerns directly. There is no reason to let issues languish; they will only become larger. Team members know about issues happening within the team, and they will respect you more for addressing them head-on. This respect will further increase your self-confidence.
- Connect with others outside of your immediate work group. Invite someone to join you for coffee or lunch. It can be as simple as asking something like, “I see you in the halls often, but I don’t really know what you do day to day, and I’m trying to learn more about functions outside of the team I lead.”
- Become mentors and are open to being mentored. Reach out to the new hire who works for the team next to your department. Offer to be a resource for that new hire as they navigate their new role. In turn, ask about their tasks and any other subjects they may be able to assist you and your team with (e.g., attend your next staff meeting to have them talk about their onboarding experience and role in the company or talk about new technology they are exploring either personally or professionally.
- Credit entire project teams. You and a few team members may have worked on a project, but most likely, other employees were also involved. Send an email to the entire team applauding their efforts and collaboration as a cross-functional team. Include every team member’s manager/leader in the message, as it can be used during the performance management cycle as a reflection point.
