The other day, I was preparing a talk on the topic of CEO confidence and I began to think about the connection between confidence and courage and how the two work together when this question came to mind:
Which comes first?
Does confidence build your ability to be courageous or does courage give you confidence to act boldly and take a big leap
We know you need confidence to be a leader. Confidence in yourself, your message, your bold decisions, and your ability to take a clear stand, even when it’s the unpopular view. Confidence enables you to be impactful and drive excellence.
At the same time, your confidence increases with every courageous decision and action you take.
So, is confidence the result of courage? Or courage a consequence of confidence?
Here’s what I’m thinking…
Courage requires you to step forward into the unknown, where it’s uncertain and risky, sometimes when there is no safety net.
Courage requires you to take a leap – through fear – and into action.
Courage is about being willing to be uncomfortable, moving to the edge of what you’re capable of, and then taking a step further.
Courage is about mastering the unknown
On the other hand, confidence is about mastering the known.
Confidence comes from mastering skills through repetition and practice. Confidence is gained from past experiences that have proven themselves. The more you practice something, the more confident you become.
Confidence is not a quality but rather a result of consistent action and courage.
I’ve come to the conclusion that Courage builds confidence.
It’s about feeling the fear and doing it anyway.
You need to begin by taking a leap into the unknown and the more you do it, the more you’ll grow your confidence.
So, why does this matter?
Because a leader is always working with the unknown. You need to make decisions without having all the information at hand. There’s always an element of risk and you need to know that and be prepared for some leaps.
What is a courageous action you’ve taken recently?
Click here, I’d love to hear about it.
Want to learn more about building habits around courageous action?
Listen to today’s podcast with Babalwa Fatyi, a CEO with heaps of courage and confidence.
Babalwa has a fascinating story from modest beginnings, growing up in a rural village, she always felt at one with her surroundings. Her passion for science and sustainability led her to found a business that focuses on this.