How can you build your confidence as a CEO, investor or entrepreneur? New CEOs have imposter syndrome. Private equity investors who just raised another $1 billion-plus fund read newspaper headlines about the coming recession and quietly gulp. Self-made billionaire entrepreneurs worry that their fortunes will take an embarrassing hit. Newly elected government leaders worry about whether their results will live up to their campaign promises.
We find that leaders are less confident when they obsess about things they can’t control, rather than taking action in the areas they can control.
The Wall Street Journal reported the results of a new survey (6/16/2019) by the Conference Board regarding what is on the minds of 800 CEOs.
External Hot-Button Issues
- Recession
- Global trade
- Politics
Internal Hot-Button Issues
- Attracting and retaining top talent
- Disruptive technologies
- Developing the next generation of leaders
What this survey says to me is this: it’s good to be aware of issues that are outside of your control – recession, global trade, politics. But it’s even more brilliant to master the things that are within your control – hiring and retaining top talent, developing digital capabilities and developing the next generation of leaders.
HOW MUCH CONFIDENCE DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR TEAM?
If you have a high degree of confidence in your team, then keep doing what you are doing to hire and develop them.
But if you don’t have a high degree of confidence in your team, then you should focus on hiring, developing and retaining more of the right people who fit your strategy – who can achieve the results you seek. How?
There are three ways to build confidence in your team. You can invest the time to master the skills and best practices around hiring, developing and retaining top talent yourself. Or you can engage ghSMART to do it for you. Or, what most of our clients do is engage ghSMART to solve this problem immediately and build your skills in this area for your long-term success. (A quick side note – I’m very proud to report that my colleagues achieved 99% “high” client-reported satisfaction over the past 12 months. So, to go with this confidence theme, I have a very high degree of confidence that my team will help you solve your #1 problem!)
A great way to build confidence in yourself as a leader is to build your confidence in your team. If you are the CEO of a $1 billion-plus revenue company or have raised at least a $1 billion fund, please reach out if you would like my team to help you build confidence in your team to deliver the results you want to achieve for customers, employees and shareholders.
About the author: Geoff Smart is chairman and founder of ghSMART. Geoff is co-author, with his colleague Randy Street, of the New York Times best-selling book, Who: A Method For Hiring, and the author of the No. 1 Wall Street Journal best seller Leadocracy: Hiring More Great Leaders (Like You) Into Government. Geoff co-created the Topgrading brand of talent management. He is the founder of two 501(c)(3) not-forprofit organizations. SMARTKids Leadership Program™ provides 10 years of leadership tutoring, and the Leaders Initiative™ seeks to deploy society’s greatest leaders into government. Geoff earned a BA in Economics with honors from Northwestern University, and an MA and PhD in Psychology from Claremont Graduate University.