Where does Confidence Come From? Part 1 of 6
Confidence is a game changer. It can be the difference between the major success of a new business or an idea that never gets beyond being drawn on the back of a napkin at Chili’s. But where does confidence come from? Regardless of what level we lead at, the answer to this question can make a huge difference for those we lead, both in how we develop them and how we lead them ourselves.
In this series, we’ll examine where confidence comes from and discuss how we can increase confidence in our subordinates…and ourselves.
- Confidence comes from knowing you are believed in
As leaders, one of the most powerful things we can do is to let our team know that we believe in them. That simple premise can be the foundation on which many more things can be built.
Brad Boxberger is a pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays system. He’s been up and down from the minors during his career. In 2014 he was brought up to fill in some holes in the Rays pitching staff caused by injuries. About two weeks later, Boxberger found himself packing to return to the minor league Durham Bulls. What a huge shift! Have you ever returned the shiny sports car convertible that you rented and flown home to get in your 12 year old Taurus with sketchy air conditioning? Then you got a tiny taste of what Boxberger was feeling. He was about to trade in the Corvette for the family sedan. One day he was good enough to be in the major league, pitching in front of 30,000 people in Tropicana Field and the next day, it was back to Triple-A ball.
Before Boxberger left, the Rays manager, Joe Maddon, sat him down. He looked Boxberger in the eye and told him “You are a major league pitcher. You deserve to be here and it’s only a matter of time until you return.” Getting sent back down to the minors, even if not completely unexpected, is a big blow and Maddon understood this. He could have just told him ‘that’s the game kid’. Instead he let Boxberger know ‘hey man, I believe in you’.
Some of us have had mentors like that in our lives. Some of us don’t. I’ll bet that some of us read that story and think about how different our journeys would have been if we’d had that voice of influence in our lives to say “hey man, I believe in you.”
No matter what stage of the game you are in, you need a Joe Maddon. You need someone to tell you that they believe in you. I have a couple of people like that in my life. When my confidence starts to wane, they can remind me that I belong where I am. You should find one (or two) for yourself.
Now that you’ve thought about how it would have helped you and heard how it has helped me, it’s time to think like leaders and ask who we can help. Who on your team needs to hear that you believe in them? That simple act can set them free. Free to relax and use their time to build your business or advance your vision, rather than spend their time just trying to not get sent to the minors.
Application suggestion:
When you sit down with your team, ask them to rate on a scale of 1-10 how much they feel you believe in them. Then ask why that number is their number and what you can do to make that number higher.