Tips for Balancing Confidence and Humility in Leadership

Picture this: you've just been promoted to a leadership role after years of excelling as an individual contributor. You're eager to make your mark and prove your worth. You know how to get things done quickly, but you also want to be perceived as strategic. How do you strike the right balance? One of my coaching clients faced this exact challenge. As an IC, his reputation for getting things done quickly and avoiding “decision by committee” was always his strongest asset. But he quickly came to the realization that leadership required a different approach when promoted to report into the company’s CTO. He struggled to adapt and recently when a high-stakes decision came his way related to employee performance calibrations, they relied on their old approach: act fast, be decisive and figure it out yourself. But by moving too quickly, he failed to get input from a key stakeholder. The result? Confusion at the C-level, frustration, and a missed chance to show his team's value as thought partners instead of order takers. Through our coaching, my client learned a valuable lesson: Leaders need to know when to make a quick decision and when to take time for careful consideration and seeking input from the right people. Moving from an IC to a leader means knowing when to slow down, gather information, and involve others. Approaching situations with humility and openness to feedback is key to making choices that align with the company's long-term goals. With this new mindset, my client started to change their approach. They worked with their manager to set clear guidelines on when to move fast and when to get input via the RAPID model. They actively looked for ways to collaborate with colleagues and understand the company's needs better. As they found their footing, they realized that success as a leader meant balancing speed with strategic thinking. By staying humble and adjusting their style to the situation, they were able to provide the guidance and support their team and executives needed to make informed decisions. The path from top performer to effective leader is rarely a straight line. But by learning from experience and being willing to adapt, anyone can navigate the challenges of leadership with skill and impact. #promotions #strategicthinking #managingup #executivecoaching

My ego was a problem in my early entrepreneurial years. Young, brash, and convinced I had all the answers, which led to a cascade of missteps. Being an entrepreneur does start with confidence, but there's a fine line before this becomes counterproductive. 1. You can't make every decision: I learned the hard way that trying to weigh in on every decision did more harm than good. Effective leadership sometimes means stepping back and empowering your team to thrive and the business to grow without you being involved in everything. 2. You can't control your culture: Early on, I realized how a "my way or the highway" attitude could stifle the very culture I aimed to cultivate. Openness to introspection and a willingness to understand rather than dictate can transform an organizational culture for the better. 3. Be a good listener: Starting with a clear vision is crucial, but so is listening to your customers. Their feedback can be humbling, especially when it challenges your assumptions, but it's gold dust for making products that truly resonate. As founders, our growth should match the pace of our companies. Ego is often the only barrier to this alignment so make sure: → You are adaptable: As your company evolves, so should you or you need to get out of the way. The qualities that define a successful CEO are varied, but adaptability is constant. → You self-reflect often: Today, ask yourself, how do I need to change to lead the company? Which aspects of my leadership need help? → Know yourself: Know your strengths and weaknesses. Your company's success is as much about leveraging your superpowers as it is about addressing your vulnerabilities. Your company mirrors your leadership. What reflection do you wish to see? Navigate entrepreneurship with humility, openness to change, and a genuine commitment to self-improvement.

Our team starts off every week with a Monday team meeting where the first thing we do is talk about our failures from the previous week... What I discovered a long time ago is that if you want to be a successful and authentic leader, you can't hide behind the varnish of "perfection." The most successful leaders -- those who inspire their people to greatness -- have all figured out that showing up honestly and authentically is a superpower that helps them build deep trust across their teams. All too often I encounter senior-level people who think that they can't be themselves in front of their people. That they can't ever show weakness and have to hide their failures. Here's the thing...you're not hiding it. Your people see you for who you really are, whether you realize it or not. When you try to hide your flaws or failures, they see that too. And that's where trust is lost. Here are three simple things you can start doing right now to show up more authentically and inspire greater trust with your team: 1. Be the first to admit when you fail. Whether in the big things or the small things, own your crap, and tell your people when you mess up. 2. When one of your people comes to you (probably in fear) to admit where they've failed, respond in humility and with compassion. I've also found that taking that opportunity to tell them about one of your previous failures helps to make them feel better in the moment and reminds them that everyone fails. 3. Admit when you don't know something, and encourage others to help you learn and grow by sharing their wisdom with you.

Do you want to be right, or do you want to be effective? A mentor asked me this question a few years ago and since then I've come back to it again and again. Our egos are constantly in the way of getting what we want. We fight to win the small "battles," ultimately sacrificing far more important things, usually healthy, long-term relationships. But what if you didn't care about being right? Getting comfortable with being wrong in all sorts of situations is a superpower that helps you grow quicker than you can imagine. So here are 5 tips for getting comfortable with being wrong: Tip 1: Listen more than you speak In discussions, especially heated ones, actively listen and understand the other side fully before formulating your response. This can shift the focus from winning an argument to finding a common ground. Tip 2: Ask questions Instead of asserting your points, ask questions that provoke thought. It helps the other person see the logic themselves, without feeling like they're being forced to concede. Tip 3: Focus on the goal, not the argument Keep the bigger picture in mind: What are you ultimately trying to achieve? Remind yourself that the relationship and the outcome are more important than a momentary triumph. Tip 4: Admit when you’re wrong Showing vulnerability and acknowledging your mistakes doesn’t weaken your position; it strengthens your credibility and creates trust. Tip 5: Practice humility Nobody is right all the time. Accepting this can be liberating and can significantly improve your interactions and decision-making processes. Next time you find yourself in a disagreement, ask yourself: Do I want to be right, or do I want to be effective? Often, reevaluating your priorities in the heat of the moment can lead to more productive outcomes. Letting go of the need to always be right doesn't just ease conflicts—it strengthens your personal and professional relationships. It allows you to move forward with solutions that benefit everyone, rather than getting stuck defending your stance. Remember, being effective doesn't mean you compromise your values—it means you value progress over pride. If you liked this post, you’ll love my weekly newsletter Join here: https://buff.ly/3JrUIta

Every high-stakes leader knows the pressure. But here's a secret to success: Embrace humility. Why? Here's what humility does: It lets you: • Recognize everyone's contributions. • See the big picture - beyond just winning. • Keep communication clear and team-oriented. • Learn from mistakes and stay open to feedback. Humble leaders report that they: • Encourage a culture of growth and innovation. • Build stronger, more resilient teams. Respectful leaders = stronger teams = better outcomes So what does humility look like in practice? And how do leaders cultivate it, even under pressure? For leaders: Listen. More than you speak. Remember, you’re part of the team. ➨ Share credit, take responsibility. ➨ Celebrate collective victories. ➨ Seek growth, not just results. ➨ Learn from the frontline. ➨ Value team input. For high-stakes environments: Keep calm. Stay focused. ➨ Foster trust and integrity. ➨ Embrace challenges as opportunities. ➨ Base actions on values, not just outcomes. ➨ Prioritize long-term vision over short-term wins. ➨ Reflect on the journey, not just the destination. No room for ego. Lead with humility. P.S. If you think humility is key, share this on! ♻️ ---------- Hey, I'm Kevin, I provide daily posts and insights to help transform organizational culture and leadership. ➡️ Follow for more ♻️ Repost to share with others (or save for later)

If being a leader isn’t hard enough, to begin with, what do we say to the person in charge who must learn to lead with confidence and humility? What is it, and why is confident humility important? It’s two sides of the same coin, a rare leadership skill that helps us be bold and brave and stand out as a leader while acknowledging that we don't know everything. So why is confident humility needed? Jennifer Garvey Berger, in Simple Habits for Complex Times, a book she wrote with Keith Johnston, describes it this way. “In a simpler world, perhaps unilateral power held by a single, smart, capable leader could rule the day. In a complex world, it takes a collective sharing of power, creativity, and perspectives to become agile and nuanced enough to lead into the uncertain future.” Short answer: it’s what's now needed and the times' demand of us. Vinita Bansal, author, and expert on leadership and management, describes it in the following four statements: 1) Confidence and humility sound paradoxical. Humility is not a lack of self-confidence. It’s admitting that you don’t know everything. 2) Leaders with confident humility exude confidence in their abilities while admitting that they don’t have all the answers. 3) They create space for others to speak up and provide solutions. 4) They have a rare superpower that makes them stand out. Much like anything, building confident humility requires a healthy dose of self-awareness.  It’s that perfect balance between being the smartest kid in the class and understanding that somebody else will eat your lunch if you don’t do your homework. Bansal also shares that confident humility is rare: "Most leaders either err on the side of overconfidence without competence or extremely competent without the confidence needed to put their ideas into action.” It’s not an either/or proposition; it is a both/and proposition if you want to be an effective leader who demonstrates confident humility. When faced with significant challenges, it gives you credit for recognizing and understanding the problem while also giving you cover for enlisting the right resources to collaborate and solve it. In his recent book, Think Again, Adam Grant describes this as “having faith in our capability while appreciating that we may not have the right solution or even be addressing the right problem. That gives us enough doubt to reexamine our old knowledge and enough confidence to pursue new insights.” Are we willing to give up on our old knowledge to be able to pursue new insights? Confident and humble leaders can. #ceos #leadership #confidence #humility To learn more on this topic and strategy execution, subscribe to my newsletter at: https://lnkd.in/gKaqqhPC