Maintaining Your Self Confidence

This characteristic does not bode well for entrepreneurs, or executive search consultants for that matter.  Although the “highs” are very high, there are far more “lows” in both roles.  So over the years, I’ve made it a priority to improve upon my ability to perpetuate strong confidence levels, regardless of misfortune.

I'm finding that during this bizarre moment in time, self confidence can be very difficult to maintain.

No matter your current situation, it is extremely important that you work hard to maintain your self confidence.  A major drop in confidence could prolong or amplify the challenges you currently face, or introduce more, potentially severer, issues.

A couple of things to consider in the effort of preserving self confidence:

1.  Out Of Your Control - If your business or the department you lead is struggling right now because of the pandemic, you must remind yourself that you are not the problem, and that the immediate challenges inflicted upon your business are unequivocally out of your individual control.  The only thing you can control now is how you respond to the impact and work around the roadblocks.

2.  Give and Support - If you have the means, donating your time, ideas, or money to support those in dire need is not only generous, it may also offer you necessary perspective and positive energy to help you re-establish confidence in yourself.

3.  Reflect Often - Many leaders I've talked to recently shared that Q1 2020 was the best quarterly performance their department, or organization, has ever experienced.  That has quickly and dramatically changed.  Adversity has a way of fogging the memory.  Do not let yourself forget your recent accomplishments and how you got there.

4.  Invest In Yourself - Although not ideal, this moment may offer you the downtime you’ve needed to develop your skills, brand, or business.  Make an effort to become better at something right now - start this immediately after reading this article!

5.  Employ Hindsight - Think back on a moment in your life when you lost confidence in yourself.  Do you feel today that the scenario was as bad as it felt in the moment?  We put tremendous pressure on ourselves in moments of crises, when in the long-run, it is rarely as severe as it feels in the moment.

6.  Keep Close Friends Close - The people closest to you know your greatest assets better than anyone.  Carve out time on your schedule daily to maintain contact with those people.  They will remind you what you’re truly capable of and give you the energy you need to preserve levels of confidence.  And you can do the same for them.

7.  Do Something Courageous - If ever there was a time to be courageous, now is it.  There may not be much to lose.  Encourage yourself to be brave or uncomfortable at least once per week.  Try something new, make a necessary change in your life or business, make a tough phone call, ask a revered leader for mentorship or help.  You’ll be surprised how people respond, particularly during times of adversity.  Despite the polarization portrayed on social media platforms, people generally want to help each other.

Lack of confidence in the leadership ranks can be a silent killer within an organization, especially during a crisis.  Practice resilience in the face of difficult situations.  It is one of the most important skills to be honed.

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Cultura Solutions is a strategic search firm in Minneapolis that partners with executive leaders to help bridge high-impact leadership talent gaps. Cultura employs an extremely disciplined and transparent search process with a targeted sourcing model and outreach focused on genuine human-to-human interaction, allowing us to turn non-active prospects into interested candidates. Visit www.cultura-solutions.com for more information.