Updated from May 19, 2014 post
Ever been rattled as a leader?
Sure you have.
It’s happened each time a project failed miserably.
It’s happened each time you received a stinging criticism.
No leader is immune to having their confidence shaken. And when it happens, depending how hard you’ve been rattled, it can cause you to begin second-guessing your leadership. Decisions can become more difficult. You begin to feel unsure of yourself.
How do you get your leadership confidence back?
When you’ve been rattled as a leader and you need to regain your confidence, there are four places you need to go back to.
1. You need to back to your inner circle
In his classic book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John Maxwell writes about the Law of the Inner Circle. He adds, “A leader’s potential is determined by those closest to him.”
Your inner circle are the ones best able to help you process your setback, and best able to help you rebuild your leadership confidence.
2. You need to go back to your “call”.
Remind yourself about how you first recognized that you had a leadership gift, and about how it was you were called into your current role.
3. You need to go back to your “wins”
This is not the same as feeding your ego. But it is important that you can draw to mind examples of times and places where your leadership has made a difference in the lives of people, or in the direction of the organization.
4. You need to go back to your identity
“Who you are” is not defined by your latest setback.
For me, my identity is firmly rooted in who I am in Christ.
Know who you really are, and remind yourself of this the next time you’ve been rattled.
The kind of confidence you need to lead well is not the same as arrogance. It’s an inner resolve that is usually found in authentically humble leaders.
If yours has been rattled, try heading back to these four places.
You could be “un-rattled” before you know it.
How do you respond when your leadership has been rattled?
