Being a leader is about living your life in a way that inspires or encourages others. Here is the 5th in my series of monthly newsletters, each with a section on the skills you need so you can be a leader of your life. To lead is to serve. If you make it your goal to do the best that you can and to help people, then you can't fail. I encourage you to commit to keep learning.

The content below is extracted from Mike Holt's Leadership Skills - Taking Your Career to the Next Level.

Being confident in yourself and your abilities is vital. You need to realize that you not only can, but also will have success when you work hard and work smart. Three things that are significant in gaining the level of self-confidence you need are competence, commitment, and control.

Competence is built by doing your homework. You can’t slow down and expect to succeed if you haven’t studied for a test you must take. The only way to have confidence is to know you’ve done your best to be prepared. Build competence by starting from an expectation of success. Mentally rehearse success. See, feel, and hear the desired end result. Put positive pressure on yourself to create the outcome you desire. When you do the work and build your competence it gives you confidence and is immediately recognized by others.

Commitment to the task. Decide what it is you want and then be committed to its completion. All projects have obstacles that stand in the way; commit to working long enough and hard enough that you’re able to see your project through to the end. Putting a little bit more work into achieving these goals builds your confidence in yourself and your ability to succeed on larger projects in the future. Work smart not just hard. This simple premise is no guarantee for success, but it’s the only way performance will be maximized. With smart, hard work, there’s always a chance to succeed. Without it, failure is guaranteed.

Control your responses. As you handle challenges or begin a project, you might notice reactions in your body—an increase in heart rate, a dry mouth, a hollow feeling in the pit of your stomach, or muscle tightness. These are normal feelings providing notice that your body and mind are ready to meet the challenge. They aren’t an indication of impending failure—nothing can be accomplished without some amount of tension. Work on taking control of your responses including your emotions and thoughts. There will be factors you won’t be able to control so don’t waste time worrying about them. Just concentrate on the ones over which you can exercise some degree of influence. Use this natural tension to help you steer the ship instead of worrying about failure.

There’s a theory called “self-fulfilling prophecy” that can help you build a strong positive self-image. When you anticipate performance of a certain caliber, it’s likely you’ll perform according to those expectations regardless of your skills. If you have minimal skills and a less than confident self-perception, look for ways to improve.

Remember that your confidence will be built by your competence; developing your self-confidence through education, experience, and even failures will help you overcome any inhibitions or shyness you might feel. As your skill level grows, chances are your performance will improve at the same time. People like to do business with and depend on confident people, so develop and manage an image that creates an air of confidence. Walk the walk and talk the talk—and your confidence will continue to increase.

We'd love to hear from you about this series, and the ways you're using it. Send us your comments and feedback by clicking on Post a Comment below. Look out for the next part in this series a month from now, and please share with your colleagues.

The above content is extracted from Mike Holt's Leadership Skills textbook. If you have enjoyed this newsletter, you can get the full content in Mike's Leadership Program.

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