Have you ever been asked to fill in for someone and give a speech? Have you ever had to step in and give an impromptu talk? Perhaps you had to stand in for someone and give a presentation?
How did you feel about it? Did you run a mile? Shrivel to the floor? Or did you Step Up into the task and give your best?
Let’s face it – it is a pretty daunting task for most of us to fill the shoes of someone who has prepared and rehearsed. The point is that as business owners and entrepreneurs we are supposed to know our ‘stuff’.
So Stepping Up & Standing Out and giving a speech should be easy? But too many of us – especially women hesitate or lean away from the challenge because we believe we are not competent enough.
So I want to address this and look at How To Balance Confidence With Competence.
…by stretching yourself beyond your perceived level of confidence you accelerate your development of competence – Michael Gelb
For me, in such a situation, it is all about not letting my mind runaway with fear. It means taking on the challenge in a professional way, recollecting my confidence and thinking on the spot.
And of course, making a sharp, smart decision as to what I need in order to not only fulfil the task but to accomplish and thrive.
Now I am not saying it is easy but I can share some ideas as to How To Balance Confidence With Competence
5 Tips for Stepping Up on the Spot
– Don’t stop breathing! Inhale and exhale – you really need this!
– Ditch any negative talk. Push the gremlins off your shoulder.
– Remember all your skills, talents and abilities.
– Don’t focus or worry about making mistakes.
– Don’t compare and forget competing.
Trust has two dimensions: competence and integrity. We will forgive mistakes of competence. Mistakes of integrity are harder to overcome – Simon Sinek
We all have this ability to balance confidence and competence. It is part of our learning curve, the decisions we make and the courage we have to move on our dreams and goals.
In the highly acclaimed book, The Confidence Code, by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, they discuss in detail the many fears, doubts and anxieties that women have in balancing confidence with competence.
It is quite extraordinary how women in senior positions, from sports to politics can be crushed by this dilemma.
And despite the many organisations that encourage us to Lean In, Put our Hand up or Step Up & Stand Out, the struggle to get the balance right continues. But now is the time to redress it!
In my up-coming book, Rule It! – out in March, I cover this topic of how too many of us are still struggling with balancing our confidence with competence. It seems the quest for perfection is still on the agenda.
Developing the 3 Big Cs of confidence, courage and creativity is essential for us in our business, professional and personal lives.
In the meantime, The Rule Breakers Guide is available on Amazon, the first book in this series of Stepping Up & Standing Out.
For more insight, learning and knowledge on this topic connect with me here.
Surely, rules are created with a purpose of interest? Most of the time we are behaving and conducting our actions to follow or satisfy those guidelines.
Although at certain times there are situations when those rules become inadequate or obsolete. Many of these customary regulations are embedded in our character. We have to look at those norms with a clear mind and recognise their true importance. Then, decide about our need to follow them, or rather we create and apply our own appropriate rules. That requires courage, confidence and creativity.
To stand up and stand out. It is much easier if we practice those three C.C.C.s And they are especially useful in extraordinary, unexpected situations for eg. as mentioned in your excellent blog. Bravo!