Respect without fear. Might come from preparation and keeping things in perspective.
Both universities and organizations are investing in training that helps people learn to present themselves—in big meetings or public speaking and compelling storytelling. Classes can instruct us in ways to walk, look, and act, but it is a mistake to think that any school can teach either composure or confidence. Those qualities cannot be taught.
Remember that my definition of composure was "just being you." That means that any class that trains people to be something other than themselves isn't teaching composure or confidence. It's an acting class.
If we fail to prepare is preparation for failure. Composure and confidence only come through constant preparation. If we are as ready as we can be, and we know we have most of the tools to handle most of the unplanned or unknowns that might come our way, we can go into an event, a job, a meeting, or any other situation with total confidence.
It's essential to be confident but not over-confident. Respect without fear is the goal—genuine belief in ourselves without being self-centered, intimidated, or naïve.
When teams present and operate with assuredness, it can overtake a room—in a good way. Imagine a lead engineer giving a demo of new technology to the CEO, on stage at a major technology event. Add to that: it's televised. A lot that can go wrong. There are many reasons the engineer or the CEO could lose their composure--internally, between each other, and in front of the crowd. The demo might not work. One of them may forget their script. They might not have worked out a contingency plan. They might not even like each other. But let's assume they both prepared. They knew their lines. The demo was tested, and there was a backup plan. People who are composed, confident, and can cooperate are sure of their potential performance, even before they get started.
A positive approach to teaching is the best way to build confidence. I don't think of continuous improvement in how I was taught to think of it. When it comes to managing inconsistencies or defects, an employee is trying to keep them from happening. That's not positive. I think about getting in between the error and the situation, owning the error. If I'm thinking, I am going to own the error, I'm empowered to fix it and potentially prevent it. I wasn't lamenting, I have to keep us from experiencing defects. Maintaining records of times when I put this thinking to the test, I not only reduced but eliminated errors. Positive teaching helps people reframe situations in a way that produces more confidence in individuals and teams, and it makes us better in our work.
A lesson from baseball that might improve our confidence at work comes from team managers. A baseball manager knows which play to call, giving them the best odds of success. They don't know if their decision will work, but they know that over time they'll succeed more often if they play the odds. If we apply this idea to our work, we can increase our confidence. Team members rely on the fact that peers and managers "have their back" and never give them direction or advice that wasn't the best opportunity to do their best as a team. If our best is good enough to meet our success measures, we win. If it isn't, we lose (just for that day), but we always try to do our best and let the results speak for themselves.
PRACTICE
To answer the following questions, rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 by circling the number that best fits you.
List the times you’ve been most confident in your work. What contributed to that?
Do you feel confident in your current work? with your current team? What is present or missing?
COMMIT
[ ] I commit myself to constant preparation and gaining perspective from team members to increase my odds of success.
Alongside technical skills, people who can master a range of subjective skills are better able to influence, deal with ambiguity, bounce back from setbacks, think creatively, and manage themselves successfully in their pursuit of mastery. Learn more about applying craft skills in the modern world.