Real talk: The last couple of years haven’t exactly been easy on leaders. It’s been hard to motivate, engage, and rally employees during a global pandemic, economic anxiety, and what has felt like non-stop social unrest. 

So, it is more than understandable if your confidence has taken a bit of a hit because leading just hasn’t been easy (is it ever?). What you are feeling is totally normal. Every leader—even the seemingly unshakeable ones—go through periods where they don’t feel confident in their decisions, actions or even themselves. 

You don’t have to stay stuck in these feelings, though. In fact, if your confidence is a little shaken or you simply want to be even more confident, the following advice can help you shift your mindset so you can see how much value you bring as a leader. 

Conduct a self-inventory 

Often when you are feeling bad about yourself, you simply need some clarity and perspective. It’s far too easy to focus on where you are falling short. Sit down with pen in hand (or type if you prefer) and list your strengths. You are loaded with them. 

If you are struggling to create a list, ask a trusted co-worker, your boss, a friend or a spouse who has seen you in action. Look back on past successes and note how you specifically contributed to the success. Think about the aspects of your work that come natural to you. Those are all talents worth noting. The goal here is to get all your strengths in one place. The mere act of listing can often give you a confidence boost, but also, keep it handy to read when you need a reminder of how great you are. 

Set goals for improvement

Every single person on this planet has room for improvement. Repeat: Every single person on this planet has room for improvement. There is no shame in having weaknesses, BUT if you want to feel more confident, the best thing you can do is take positive action to address them. 

So, again, sit down and write down specific areas you want to improve. Think about those times when you are most uncomfortable and when you wish you knew more or had a different skill set. Identify your top realistic priority, and then create a plan of attack. Determine what is holding you back, and decide who or what can help you move forward.

Wish you didn’t feel so jittery when presenting to your team? Sign up for a public speaking course. Want to be quicker in your decision making? Work with a coach. Need to delegate more directly? Read a book on the topic. With every skill and bit of knowledge you gain, you will feel more prepared—and the more prepared you feel, the more confident you will become. So, work on your goal consistently and frequently, allotting dedicated and intentional time to focus on improving. 

Stop obsessing over your failures 

We wish more people would see mistakes and failures as the incredible learning opportunities they are. Sure, it stinks when you are responsible for one. Nobody wants to mess up, and you should do everything you can to avoid it in your job and as a leader. 

That said, mistakes and failures are inevitable, so if you are responsible for one, take the time after the smoke has cleared to understand what happened and to truly learn from the experience. You’ll become more resilient and have the confidence to lead through similar challenges in the future. 

Give up the negative self-talk – and trying to be perfect 

Offer yourself some grace. No one is perfect, and neither are you, so just stop feeling like you have to be. Stop comparing yourself to others because, chances are, they are fighting to overcome their own shortcomings. 

Instead, when you feel the negative self-talk start to take over. When you find yourself wishing you could be like so-and-so at work. When you are beating yourself up over the smallest mistake most people won’t even notice, revisit your strengths list. Take a minute to remind yourself how much you do for your team, employees and organization. In the moments where you are feeling unsure, overwhelmed or lost, say to yourself, “I have been successful before, I can do it again and this is how I am going to do it …” to reframe the negativity to positive action.

Ultimately, becoming more confident is a combination of taking an honest look at your strengths and making a commitment to continual growth.

If you aren’t sure which areas to focus on first, we’d love to help. At Jackson-Schmidt Consulting, we use a combination of coaching and assessment tools to help you build self-awareness and fully understand your strengths and weaknesses. If you are ready to discover who you are, what you want from your career, and what you need to do to excel, contact us today.