As a leader, are you building confidence within your team or are you tearing it down?

Four ways you can help boost their confidence:

1.  Express your confidence in them. Let them know you believe in them and their ability to accomplish what you’re assigning them to do. Don’t assume they know that just because they’re given an opportunity. They need to hear it. Those words can go a long way in building confidence.

2.  Make it okay for them to ask for help. Tell them it’s acceptable and expected that they reach out for help. Let them know they’re not on an island. Some may feel they are expected to know everything when assigned a new role/project/task and don’t want to show any signs of weakness or incompetency. It can help alleviate anxiety and self-doubt.

3.  When offering them an opportunity, offer it from THEIR perspective, not yours. You may see potential in someone who may not see it in themselves. If they don’t have experience in the opportunity you’re presenting, openly recognize that while expressing your belief in their ability. It may go like this, “Sarah – I know you haven’t managed a project like this before, but your ability to figure things out and utilize your resources has been proven on the last several projects you’ve worked on. You’ve got what it takes to do this, even if it may not feel like it right now.”

4.  Remember that we’re all human. We all experience a vast range of emotions. Even those at the top have experienced self-doubt and imposter syndrome. Try to be compassionate and empathetic. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes – try to understand how they may be feeling and why they may be feeling it. And then treat them how you would want to be treated. How you make them feel is what carries with them.