How to Inspire Confidence as a Leader

As a leader, your responsibility doesn’t end with getting good at being you. You also have to communicate to everyone you lead how important it is for them to be comfortable with who they are. Here are some ideas that will help;

Believe in your team members

 As a leader, it is good to celebrate your team members’ individuality, make them feel appreciated. According to an old adage “when you appreciate someone you directly inspire them to do more”. Even though the personalities in your team may be different, as long as everyone is working towards the same goal with a similar value system that reflects a respect for others and sense of personal accountability. As a leader, you should encourage those you lead to take bold steps in whatever they choose to. They should be able to succeed in their own ways and not be a carbon copy of you. There should be unity of values, collective work culture and diversity of styles.

Create & Design Individual Development Programmes

There’s no substitute for tailored, constructive feedback. Express your appreciation for people’s strengths and take time to understand what makes them tick. Then help them identify ways to be more effective, develop pep talk to boost their morale and create a bonding time / session for all team members to work out a culture of practical expression of what they would like to see infused or changed in the team.

Create a safe Haven

Your role as a leader is to make it easy for people to be able to confide in you, speak up, express their opinions and express their individuality. Part of the virtue of leadership is to be able to exert positive influence in the lives of people under you and lead them to make necessary changes in their lives. It is okay as a leader to have some people under you digress away from your point of perception about matters, let them have a free mind to be able to say no and don’t be offended, thank them for it for it is some of their ideas that might keep you from falling into unseen ditches.

Openly Seek Knowledge & Perspective from Others

Don’t wait for people to speak up. Ask them what they know and what they think about your ideas. Open communication promotes a democratic culture in the workplace. This is what every leader should aim for.

 

About the Author

Chukwuka Anslem Ozor is a 2014 YRP Incubator Africa Fellow, a writer and Communications Strategist. He is a Programme Manager at Apostles in the Marketplace, Victoria Island Lagos.