Confidence is an incredibly important trait in the world of business. You may think that all of the great CEOs and entrepreneurs of the last few decades never lose their confidence, but you’d be surprised. New CEOs usually have impostor syndrome and struggle with the idea that they’re good enough for their role. Self-made billionaires often worry that their fortune will take an embarrassing hit. Even private equity investors look at the looming recession and grow concerned.
We often find that leaders are less confident when they obsess about things that are out of their control, rather than taking action in areas where they have some control. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that externally, most CEOs are most worried about a recession, global trade and politics. Internally, they’re much more concerned about retaining top talent, dealing with disruptive technologies and developing the next generation of leaders. While it's good to be aware of the external issues, it’s much more important to master the internal problems within your control. In order to fully boost your own confidence, you must have a high level of confidence in your team. If you are already confident in your team and keep doing what you’re doing to hire and develop top talent. If you aren’t confident in them, then you should work on hiring the right people. If you’ve found yourself in this position and you’re simply not confident enough in your team, there are a few things you can do to boost your confidence.
Your first option is to invest your own time into hiring, training and developing your team yourself. You’ll need to set ample time aside so you can truly master the necessary skills to see the best results. Additionally, you can hire a company like ghSMART to do it for you. There are options for an immediate fix that will help adjust your confidence while also building your team’s skills.
Confidence is not necessarily an inherent trait we get from our genes. We can build and grow our confidence skills by taking care of the things we can control. There will always be outside pressures that are out of our control, and there’s simply nothing we can do about it. Instead, focus on hiring and maintaining top talent, developing your company’s digital capabilities and training the next generation of leaders. You’ll see positive results before you know it.
Dr. Geoff Smart is the chairman and founder of ghSMART, a leadership consulting firm that exists to help leaders amplify their positive impact on the world. Dr. Smart and his firm have published multiple New York Times best sellers. He stays active in his community and has advised many government officials.