The Best Thing you can do to Grow Your Leadership Confidence

Do you want to be a confident leader others will follow?  Then set a goal to make the people on your team successful.  By focusing on them, not on yourself and how well you ‘re doing, you’ll find your confidence grow.  Loose yourself in equipping, training, and coaching them to greatness, and watch what happens to you.  One of your main job descriptions is to set them up for success.  One way you can do this is to give them praise when they’ve done well, while correcting and redirecting them when they’ve failed.  You see, your job is to not only hire the best person fit for the position, but to then create an atmosphere that allows them to be creative and fulfill their job description and more.  Great leadership is like a treasure hunt, when you’re looking for and drawing out those golden nuggets of skill, knowledge and experience in an employee, you’ll discover they have more possibility and and will be more eager to over deliver.   People flourish when they’re in a system that creates growth, and rewards initiative, while surrounding them with the right amount of accountability.  You’re the one that sets the stage for this to happen, and in the process,  CONFIDENCE your confidence emerges.  By pouring yourself into them will cause it to appear naturally.  It’s no longer about all the magnificent things you can do, but the great things you can elicit from others!  This is true Servant Leadership.

The Greatest Fear of Every Successful Leader

I’M GOING TO BE FOUND OUT! What if they learn I’m a fraud . . . I confess I remember thinking, I hope they don’t find out I don’t have a clue what I’m doing, where we’re going, or even what to do next.  I was insecure, and yet, it was one of the most exciting times of my life!  At one time or another every successful leader discovers they’re out of their comfort zone, beyond their skill set or knowledge base.  So what did I do?  I . . .

1. Connected to an online community of Consultants and Trainers and asked for recommendations, and being a woman: I asked for HELP!
2. I began reading three of the four books that were recommended on the topic.
3. I started working with my own coach.
4. I surrounded myself with others who had skill sets that complimented mine and meet the needs of the project I couldn’t.

When you’re in over your head, the last thing you want to do is “act“  like you know it all, while barreling full steam ahead.  By incorporating the four steps listed above, you can confidently move forward with the support, backup, and multiple sets of eyes to catch you before you do something stupid and jeopardize your job and reputation.  So, hang up your pride.  Get the assistance you need.  Implement this strategy, and I guarantee you’ll grow into a leader who will make a difference.

How my Leadership Ladder was Climbed II

Part II
Now, however it is that you’ve arrived in this position of “leader” “manager” or whatever it is that causes you to need to influence people, the next question is always:  “What do I do now?”  And the big “?”, “How do I get them to follow?”  These are the types of things we’ll be bantering, along with the triumphs and pain that go with leading people.  Throughout this blog you’ll find keys for the beginner leader, including tips to perform like a pro, even when your insides feel like the Titanic.  We’ll discuss how to assess your strengths while at the same time being brutally honest with you limitations. We’ll provide you with a course to travel, a compass to keep you moving in the right direction, and a lighthouse to avoid crashing and burning.  Discussing the skills most needed for success, but rarely used will be a continuous topic.  The end game is to set you up for the kind of confidence that leads to success, regardless of the industry.  But please, the only thing I ask is that you be OPEN and WILLING.  Let the posts germinate, then please feel free to add your “two bits”.  This is the part that makes blogging  fascinating, controversial, and even a little fun, while being practical and applicable!  In fact, I’d love to hear how you stumbled onto the tightrope of leadership yourself.  It’s quite a ride, this leadership role, so hang in there, and hang on!  It has its’ moments, but I can tell you for certain, that with the right motive, and a servant attitude, it’s all worth the rocky ride.

How my Leadership Ladder was Climbed I

Part I

Why is this blog called “Confessions of an Accidental Leader”?  It’s because I myself never set out to “BE” a leader, or to be “LEADING” leaders.  It was a natural progression of my interests, passion, and personality 30 years ago.  It began when a friend shared that if you read 7 books on any one given subject, that you would be considered an expert in that field.  While recuperating from surgery, I attempted just such a feat by consuming anything I could get my hands on regarding the behavioral styles method called DISC.  From there, for fun and personal enjoyment I began sharing the information informally with groups.  People found it instantaneously fascinating, and particularly helpful, so I was soon asked by friends and their husbands to conduct workshop for their office staff and employees.  What started as a hobby, launched me into the arena of entrepreneurship,  consulting, coaching, training on team-building, conflict resolution, communication and ultimately leading.  I’ve since become certified in a myriad of applicable competencies see: www.dpdwebsite for more information on my journey.