Leaders build confidence
Leaders help build confidence. They do not just demand it.
Corporate life is a team sport. As a team sport, we need to trust one another. We need to be able to sleep at night knowing that someone has our back. We are not worried that someone from the team will stab you in the back. We are not concerned that a team member will sneak into the office of an executive and bad-mouth you. We are not worried that the friend you have lunch with will not run over to the boss to announce a completed project and take the credit from you.
Team members, from any sport, need to be able to trust each other completely. They should also be able to help out each other when needed. Having the confidence that the team will help you when times get rough is so amazing. You also know that when you struggle, your colleagues will not throw you under the bus. It goes both ways. There is great satisfaction in helping others in the team.
However, you cannot lend a helping hand if you do not have the confidence to help. You cannot help others if you are uncertain about your skills and knowledge. You cannot fake confidence. You will find it hard to reach out if you are not confident that you can pull your team member to safety.
It is the responsibility of our leadership to make sure that our teams are confident about themselves and their abilities. How can leaders help build their team’s confidence? Leaders need to invest in developing their team members’ competencies.
Good leadership sets up development programs for their team. They make sure that their team’s skills are regularly honed. An extra step that good leadership takes is systematically mentoring the future leaders of the company. They don’t leave the mentorship to chance. It is not only done as a reflex or as needed. Mentoring is not just lip service. They have a clear leadership development goal for each high potential they have under their wing.
It will result in a combination of structured and unstructured approaches to their mentee’s leadership development. Structured, meaning they have a specific competency goal to achieve. This goal is supported by a clear development program and review mechanism. Unstructured, meaning they provide carefully crafted feedback as needed. This productive feedback is discussed on a personal basis. New assignments given to these high potential mentees are also supported by a development program. Leaders provide resources for the learning curve.
I had a senior manager in Far East Bank from my previous career that practiced this approach. Every time one of his direct reports got a new assignment, Mr. Rick San Juan would assign them two tasks.
The first task is an eight-week technical learning program. This allowed his direct report to understand the processes of the new function. They were also able to understand the current situation of the department.
The second task, parallel to the first one, is an eight-week coaching program with him. He would set a fixed date/time for 90 minutes a week every week. This would go on for the next eight weeks. At the end of the eight weeks, his direct reports are confident and able to perform their new assignment.
Only when employees are confident about their skills will they be able to voluntarily reach out to struggling team members. They also understand their capabilities and limitations. Their self-confidence is so high that they are not bothered when they seek help.
Only when you have a group of people bonding together as a team and glued by self-confidence will they perform at higher levels of performance.
Building confidence in your team goes a long way.
Stay safe,
Jordan Imutan
www.servantleadersph.com
Let us build a Nation of Servant Leaders from all walks of life.