Too confident? Not confident enough? - Balancing Your Confidence Level

​by Suzie Doscher and Susan Begeman Steiner of The Coaching Group of Switzerland

Confidence is a hot topic in business. Usually people worry about having too little confidence because that makes it difficult to take action in many situations.  These are some areas where confidence (or lack thereof) show up:

• Communication  - expressing yourself, asking for clarification if you do not understand or are not sure etc.
• Focus – Trusting your capabilities, feeling confident about them for example can result in increased focus
• Motivation  - Believing in yourself can increase your willingness to take risks and be excited about new projects
• Time management – Being realistic about how you schedule your day, giving yourself enough time to complete tasks. This is influenced by your level of confidence and allows you to have increased confidence.

• Stress management – Feeling comfortable setting boundaries, taking time out all require confidence.

 
It takes confidence to say 'no'
 
You need a certain amount of confidence to deal with the possible  consequences of saying ‘no’. Without enough confidence, you probably won’t risk this, even if it could lead to good consequences.
 
So confidence is great, right? But what about when you are over-confident?
 
Results of having too much confidence:

• You can inadvertently roll over others who are less confident, causing you to miss out on their good ideas
• Brainstorming with others can feel like a waste of time
• Holding onto your own opinions (and not being open to hearing from others) makes the world a very black/white place – and you can end up in the dark
• Someone’s thoughtful or considerate suggestion might feel like a criticism to you and cause you to get defensive instead of listening
• Humility can seem like a quality that only the saints have

 
As with confidence, every ‘good’ trait has a dark side. That leaves us in a balancing act between too little and too much. Finding that balance in each moment is where awareness comes in. Knowing and being honest with yourself with help raise your awareness.

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