Is leader confidence overrated? According to Professor Baba
Shiv in his YouTube video, Brain Research
at Stanford: Decision Making, confidence is vastly underrated. Confidence
is a subject that I can relate well with. For me, confidence has been somewhat
of a dilemma, it’s not something I can fake or easily display if I don’t feel
it within myself. As a senior non-commissioned officer who retrained to a new
career function within the last two years, I’ve been placed in multiple roles in
which I have little to no experience. The lack of experience caused me to
second guess my decisions and often rely on others for advice. Observing a lack
of confidence in yourself presents a negative feeling that can lead to lack of
passion in other situations or scenarios. According to Shiv (2011) a lack of
confidence has a direct impact on how motivated you are to accomplish a task. Even
though I’ve faced confidence setbacks, I stay positive, encouraged by the fact
that confidence comes with learning and experience. As I become more
comfortable in my knowledge I feel confidence will develop intuitively.
One particular situation I felt confident in was during a
recent off station exercise that took place in southern Arizona. As a previous
mobility loadmaster I specialized in evaluating aircraft load plans. During the
exercise, my primary function was to confirm and supervise the movement of
personnel and cargo, often loading the aircraft to its full capacity. My experience
allowed me to quickly confirm logistical movements with senior leadership. As
my junior airmen came to me with concerns and hesitation, I felt confident
explaining the plan and motivating them to accomplish the task. The emotions
felt after I successfully carried out the movement were great, I walked into
the squadron with pride that my plan directly contributed to the mission
success.
A different scenario took place earlier this year during an
overseas deployment. This was my first deployment as the senior enlisted
leader. Within the first week I was challenged with negative attitudes and
overall disruptive behavior by my enlisted team. It’s important for me to
explain my attitude and expectations in this scenario. I consider myself a team
player, willing to work with anyone while displaying a positive attitude. I had
real trouble understanding how these young sergeants could display such a
negative attitude on a daily basis. Their poor attitude and my lack of ability
to gain their trust made me question my leadership style. During a couple of occasions,
certain individuals pushed me to the point of losing control of my emotions.
Eventually I was forced to pull these specific individuals aside for one on one
counseling. After four months deployed and several months home I still have
trouble communicating with one specific individual. However, I also take faith
in the bigger picture. While I have trouble successfully communicating with one
individual, overall, I feel very comfortable and confident relating to and
leading most others in the organization.
Over the course of the last year I have been put in
situations where I felt comfortable and confident leading teams, while also
dealing with situations and decisions I didn’t feel confident in handling. The
confidence I display comes from a very genuine part of my personality. While
some of my peers are able to display confidence during times of uncertainty, I personally
feel there is no shame in admitting when you don’t know the answer. Leading
people has been one of the greatest challenges I’ve faced during my time in the
military, however, I feel that keeping a positive attitude and learning from my
mistakes will make me a better leader in the future.
Reference:
Shiv, B. (2011). Baba Shiv: Brain research at Stanford:
Decision Making. [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRKfl4owWKc
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