Confidence Counts

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."
Mark Twain 1835-1910, American Humorist and Writer

An important aspect of leadership is in the building of confidence among the individuals that you lead. This could be relative to their product knowledge, ability to successfully perform the responsibilities of their job, or in their ability to become a future leader within your organization. As a leader you can never, (figuratively) "knock someone down without picking them back up, brushing them off, pointing them in the right direction and giving them a nudge." You have to remember to rebuild the confidence of your people to go out and not only execute but excel. Leaders have to come to work each and every day with a goal of leaving the business in better shape than when walking through the door that morning. This includes the building of the confidence of your people. In fact, the more time you spend building the confidence of your people the more confident they will become in you as their leader. A perfect example of this would be in the ability of a sales representative to effectively sell a product that he or she knows inside and out verses one in which the emplyee has limited knowledge. The more confident your folks are the more successful they become. As a leader, you can build confidence.

How high is the confidence level of your staff? Is it equal to yours? Do they have a strut in their step, or are they less confident in you and your products today than they were a year ago?