Today’s Tuesday Reading turns to the subject of confidence by considering Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter’s essay “Overcome the Eight Barriers to Confidence”. Professor Kanter is Ernest L. Arbuckle Professor at the Harvard Business School and the author of Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End.
Kanter notes that to be a more confident you, you have to stick to what you have set out to do. She sees confidence as an expectation of a positive outcome. It is not a personality trait. Rather it is an assessment of a situation that results in motivation. In her words, “If you have confidence, you are motivated to put in the effort, to invest the time and resources, and to persist in reaching the goal.” Success is not produced by confidence, but rather by the investment and the effort. Without confidence it is too easy to not get started or to give up early in the journey.
Her research has led to defining eight traps that can keep you from having the confidence to work toward your goals:
It’s not enough to feel confident, you have to also do the work. Kanter says that with an expectation of success, you can try new things, have new relationships, contribute to shared success, and have great small wins that move you toward the bigger goals.
Have a great week as you approach your work in confidence. . . . jim
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