Category: Leadership

Could it be Self-Confidence?

6/15/2015

In an earlier post, I suggested that job performance problems are typically the result of either low self-confidence (competence) or low self-esteem (motivation). My last post focused on looking for signs of cynicism as clues of low professional self-esteem, and then making improvements through career development. The result of improved self-esteem is an elevated motivation to succeed, and better overall job performance.

While motivation is expressed through self-esteem, competence is expressed through self-confidence, and is the result of appropriate knowledge, skills, and experience in a person’s work duties. Besides poor job performance, how can you tell if a team member is suffering from low self-confidence? Let’s face it—people are not going to tell you that they don’t know what they’re doing! We’re hard-wired to avoid feeling inadequate or foolish—and are silently fearful that we may lose our jobs if we are recognized as not being competent.

A good leader will recognize the signs of low professional self-confidence, diagnose which skills need developing, and help move the team to optimal performance and productivity.

The classic sign of low self-confidence is masking. Masking is used to cover up a lack of competence. A metaphorical example of this would be the stereotypical high school athletic superstar who never learned to read well. How did he make it through school? By covering up for his reading skills in other ways.

What are some of the clues that a team member may be masking? Examples might include statements such as, “This is not a good example of how I usually do it.” “This training class is not real-world, so that is why I’m having trouble.” “I usually do much better than this, I don’t know what’s wrong with me today.” “I’m not good in these situations when you are with me, but I usually do much better by myself.” Of course, everyone has a bad day from time to time. However, continual rationalizing of poor performance, coupled with objective examples of low output, usually means a person is lacking certain skills.

Your job as a good leader, is to recognize these clues early on and to address any training needs immediately. What does it say about your leadership if your team does not get the training, feedback, and support they need and deserve to do their jobs well? The best place to start is with an honest conversation between you and your team about the skills in question. This can easily be accomplished when there is a “safe zone” of learning, coupled with mutual trust. Learning and taking risks are an important part of success in any field, and a culture that discourages honesty and punishes risk taking is not conducive to innovation and growth. A strong and confident leader will continually assess, teach, and reinforce skills on a routine basis. It all starts with you!

By recognizing signs of cynicism and/or masking, and then taking strategic steps to begin improving motivation and competence, you will develop a high functioning team of people who are eager to succeed and capable of the highest level of performance in your organization. I hope these posts gave you some practical tips to address some of the all too common problems in the world of work.

What is Professional Self-Esteem?

6/14/2015

What is professional self-esteem and what does it have to do with employee performance?

In my last post, I suggested that job performance problems are typically the result of either low self-confidence (competence) or low self-esteem (motivation). Between the two of these concepts, low self-esteem may be the least understood.

In general, self-esteem is determined by the difference (or gap) between your “ideal self” and your “actual self.” The closer you resemble the kind of person that you aspire to be, or your ideal self—the better you feel, and the happier you are. Conversely, the further you stray from the fundamental goals, character, or values of your ideal self, the worse you feel—and the unhappier you become.

Professional self-esteem is something slightly different. Professional self-esteem is determined by the difference (or gap) between where we want to be (and think we should be) in our career, and where we actually are at this time.

One thing we know is that professional self-esteem plays a very important role in determining our motivation to excel—and therefore directly affects job performance.

The key to gauging your team’s professional self-esteem is to determine the difference between each person’s unique ideal work self, and his or her actual work self, as observed by you and by others.

We all have a vision of the quality of worker we think we should be, and the career that we expect for ourselves. It is how we envision ourselves in our work roles ideally.

For example, you may picture yourself as a competent and confident professional who performs at a high level and is recognized and rewarded for your accomplishments and contributions to your organization.

However, you may actually not be getting the recognition you feel you deserve, or you may not be doing as good a job as you think--either of which is disappointing and demotivating.

Therefore, to even begin to close the gap, you need to know if and when you are doing a good job!

How do you know if it’s low professional self-esteem?

The sign of low self-esteem will be an expression of cynicism.

This cynicism comes from either an actual gap between the individual’s ideal self and actual self ("I am not happy with my job performance, or am not where I hoped to be in my professional development or career"), or from the belief that he or she is not perceived fairly by their company’s leadership ("I am not being recognized for my contributions").

Clues of cynicism for you to listen for include, “It doesn’t matter what I do, it won’t make any difference.” “This isn’t fair.” “It’s not what you know, its who you know.” “I don’t know what they expect from me.” These statements are examples of cynicism and point to a low professional self-esteem.

Once you diagnose low professional self-esteem in your team, what can you do about it? The next step is simply to help facilitate the journey toward becoming more like their ideal professional selves (a journey of professional development).

It’s time to start asking some questions. By discovering the career hopes and dreams of your team (and how they are currently measuring up to those ideals), you can help identify any roadblocks to getting them back on track. There could be any number of obstacles interfering with aligning a person’s actual self with his ideal self. Maybe it’s a real developmental deficiency that he does not realize, or perhaps his past contributions have gone unreported or unrecognized. Maybe he has not been perceived correctly by his leaders, or conversely is lacking self-awareness when dealing with colleagues.

Whatever the barrier, most issues can be overcome once recognized and dealt with directly!

Oftentimes, it is simply poor leadership that is holding back a team member’s progress toward reaching her full potential. People need (and deserve) direct and honest feedback – good or bad, with proper praise and recognition when earned, or correction and redirection when warranted.

Neglect of this principal will always lead to problems!

Once your team members have a vision of their ideal professional selves, and what they hope and expect for themselves within the organization, it’s up to you to show them a clear path to those ends. A good leader will also hold them accountable to their own behaviors along the way – with consistent and honest feedback at every conceivable opportunity.

People need to know that someone is paying attention to them and their work! They need to know that their actions and behaviors make a difference—one way or another. In reality, it takes very little time and effort on your part to make some initial observations, initiate a safe, but realistic discussion about their current situation, and develop a path toward personal excellence—monitored by continual dialogue and guidance. This is professional development in action!

Once you are on this path to facilitating high self-esteem within your team, you will be rewarded with their loyalty, and by their demonstrated motivation for achievement and superior performance!

What are you waiting for? It’s time to get started, today!

In my next post, I'll discuss the role of self-confidence in job performance, and how to recognize the hidden clues that will help you to determine if there is a problem. It may not be what you think it is...

Do you have a winning team? Why not?

6/13/2015

Job performance problems are typically the result of either low self-confidence or low self-esteem (or a combination of both). Self-confidence is determined by a worker’s competence, or how well the person knows how to do his or her job, which includes a combination of knowledge, skills, and experience. Self-esteem, on the other hand, determines a worker’s happiness and thus affects his or her motivation. In other words, the better we feel about our work-selves, the more motivated we are to excel.

The typical management responses to low performance are to set tight objectives, offer words of encouragement, or to develop “performance improvement plans,” all of which can have variable success over the long haul. The limitations of these standard reactions to poor performance are that they do nothing to address the underlying causes of low professional self-confidence or self-esteem. A good leader, on the other hand, will be able to see the signs or symptoms of either low self-confidence or low self-esteem, quickly diagnose the problem, and then set the process in motion to correct the deficiencies. This system is what will get your team on the right path toward higher performance!

“This sounds easy enough, so how do I get started?” You’re right, this really is a simple process, and as a business leader you can get started on developing a high performing team in no time. In my next couple of posts I will share the secrets to: recognizing the signs of low professional self-confidence and self-esteem, addressing these issues with your team, and taking action steps that will really work!

Ready to Become a Leader?

6/12/2015

Three simple ways to start leading, today!

In my last post, I reminded you that you don’t need anyone’s permission to be a leader. Knowing that people in your organization are starved for leadership, you ask, “How do I become a leader if I’m not in a leadership position?” Let me share with you three simple steps to becoming a leader.

First, regardless of your position or tenure in your organization, you can begin immediately leading by example. People naturally look up to those who are highly competent in their work. By making just a little extra time and effort to do your job especially well, you will set the example for others to follow. Since average is just so… average, it doesn’t take very much to stand out in the work world! Your personal excellence will draw others to you, seeking out your advice and expertise. You will immediately be considered a leader among your peers.

Second, once you are recognized as an expert, you will naturally begin to help others through informal one on one instruction, or even as a formal mentor. Look for ways to reach out and help others who are new to their role, or are struggling with their responsibilities. Ask your manager if you can help train or mentor others in your business unit. While you will be performing a valuable service to your organization, it is you who will be the primary beneficiary of your initiative! Teaching and mentoring others will enhance your leadership skills and elevate your confidence and self-esteem. Your efforts will be rewarded exponentially through the universal law of reciprocity.

Third, now that you are an expert in your position, and a mentor to your peers, you are ready to take on group leadership assignments. Again, all you need is a little initiative to seek out and volunteer for existing opportunities or unmet needs. Whether you are naturally extroverted or introverted, the confidence developed from the expertise in your role, and the experience of training or mentoring others, will more than prepare you to excel in leading a group project!

How long does this three-step process take? Not long at all! Begin immediately, take initiative, and in a matter of weeks, you will be well on your way as a recognized leader in your organization! Please know that this simple system WILL work. Nevertheless, very few people will make the minimal effort necessary to stand out, and become a leader. Remember this mantra: “If you want to be extraordinary, do extra-ordinary things!”

Your Organization is Starved for Leadership!

6/11/2015

What’s holding you back from leading?

People everywhere are starved for leadership. This is especially true in our rapidly changing economy and business culture.

Maybe you feel like your organization, your team, or your colleagues could be doing more to respond to increased competition or other circumstances.

You wonder, “Why doesn’t someone see this situation and do something about it?” You think, “If I were in charge, I would…!”

Honestly, I hear this kind of talk all the time, and I believe there is a vast and powerful untapped source of organizational leadership that is waiting to be discovered: You!

There is a little known secret about leadership that nobody tells you –You don’t need anyone’s permission to be a leader!

The most common misconception made about leadership is thinking that you must be appointed to a “leadership position” in order to start leading. Paradoxically, this thinking is completely backward!

The truth is that first you lead, and only then are you considered for a “leadership position.”

Are you ready to start leading? In part two of this post, I’ll tell you three easy ways for you to begin leading, today!

Could it be Self-Confidence?

What is Professional Self-Esteem?

Do you have a winning team? Why not?

Ready to Become a Leader?

Your Organization is Starved for Leadership!

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