The importance of having belief in yourself

In any walk of life if you want to really excel at something then you have to have total belief and confidence in your own skills, abilities and judgement.

The reality is that if you let even the smallest drop of self-doubt creep into your work then you are asking for serious trouble and will ultimately undermine what it is you are trying to achieve.

It should be remembered that there is a very big difference in having confidence in yourself and being arrogant.

Arrogance can often be misplaced and can also cause serious problems and issues within a work-place or in a business.

The reality is that people who are arrogant often have an over-inflated opinion of their own capabilities and skills.

Even worse than that arrogance as a character trait can often blind you to other people’s opinions and points of view.

The reality is that no matter how good someone is at their job it is impossible for anyone to be absolutely right all of the time.

No matter how skilled we are and how much preparation and practice we put in sooner or later all of us will make some kind of mistake or choose the wrong course of action.

That is why there is a world of difference between confidence and arrogance but there is absolutely nothing wrong in a having a healthy dose of self-belief in your strengths and abilities.

It can really help in the decision making process if you have that sense of self-assurance - particularly when it comes to dealing with difficult and rapidly changing situations.

If you feel confident in your own judgement calls then you will be in a much stronger position to make the kind of decisions which are needed when it comes to managing a crisis.

Often, when things are going wrong what is needed is someone to take control and to be decisive.

If you have someone in charge who is too nervous to act and too worried about making the wrong decision then it can deepen the crisis and make a bad situation even worse.

It is worth remembering it is far easier to spread panic amongst the ranks than it is to create a sense of calm and stability.

Having self-confidence can also help to inspire others - after all the very best managers are always the ones who inspire and lead by example.

There are many qualities needed when it comes to being a stronger leader but confidence is one of the first on my personal check-list.

It is something I always look for when I am recruiting people to fill senior positions within my business.

As a quality it can be difficult to define but as soon as someone walks into an interview room you can tell immediately that they are blessed with that very special blend of confidence and self-assurance.