What do you think is more important for a leader to be – confident or inspiring?
I work with CEOs who feel the bite of imposter syndrome. On the outside it looks like they have it all together but sometimes they feel like they’re just winging it. We work on building their confidence as a leader (rather than in their particular area of knowledge) so that how they’re feeling on the inside can match how they look to others on the outside.
Can you relate?
I also work with CEOs who want to be more inspiring. They see themselves as introverts who like to focus on their work and do what needs to get done. Sometimes they find the people stuff exhausting. At the same time, they know that being an inspiring leader is key to their growth and success because then their team will feel more motivated and have a clearer sense of direction.
It’s important for me to clarify that when I talk about inspiring, I don’t necessarily mean having a level of charisma and ra-ra that we often associate (and see) with inspiring leaders. There are leaders who are very inspiring and are quiet leaders. Being inspiring means that you are a role model to others, that your team love working with you, learning from you and can see a path for their own growth and development just by being on your team. This can be done quietly too.
Can you relate?
I know both are important (and possibly go hand-in-hand in some cases). Confident and inspiring can be worked on at the same time.
In fact, I’ve seen that working on your confidence as a leader, helps you be more inspiring and working on being inspiring definitely builds confidence.
But I’d love to know, if you could choose one to focus on, which would it be?
Click here and let me know
Last week I had the pleasure of talking at the Institute of Directors, South Africa. The topic of conversation – What got you here, Won’t get you there. How to Master Three Types of Leadership Habits Extraordinary CEOs Possess. They’ve kindly shared the recording and you can click here to listen.
This week we have a podcast that is all about confidence. Bret Caretsy, Co-Founder/CEO of Unicorn® Drinks. Bret invented the unicorn drink, was copied by Starbucks and so he sued them… and won!
Have a listen to this week’s episode on Leadership Live Podcast (Ep34) The man who brought the unicorn to life, took on Starbucks and won, and continues to grow his mission.
If you’re looking for a leadership mentor that will help you grow your leadership mindset and achieve your business goals, get in touch with us for one-on-one leadership coaching & mentoring.