Professional Confidence Means More than Pride
Posted on April 05, 2012 by Jenna Forster, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.
a struggle exists professionally if we battle these two cousins of character development.
If you’ve ever dined with or attend an event or a meeting with someone that exudes pride, you know the difference between pride and confidence. Yet for many of us, a struggle exists professionally if we battle these two cousins of character development. One carries ego everywhere and wants to win, be on centre stage and is seldom upstaged. The other is gracious, shows leadership talent and helps others to meet their ultimate capacity without feeling diminished personally.
A dictionary states the world of difference between pride and confidence. So why do we often state we “take pride in” or we’re so “proud of” our accomplishments? Pride may be voiced for something we’ve done, have, or a position or status we’ve attained that sets us apart from others. When we really understand what the word pride means, and what it represents we might want to invest more fully in developing greater personal confidence instead of celebrating our pride. The former comes from a “wholesome self-respect” according to Norman Vincent Peale. The latter stem from inflation.
Confident professional and personal moments are from a faith in oneself that is not connected to arrogance. It reflects self-control, good will, coolness under stress, freedom from uncertainty. It totally lacks unpleasant or negative connotations. Confidence may have been sought after daily, ascending from a childhood lacking recognition or acceptance. It may have arrived as a surprise from years of tireless toil studying, working and learning from every source possible.
Confidence grows when shared in the form of knowledge and wisdom, without demeaning the recipient. It leans on the awareness that the owner is not the sole force producing an outcome. Confidence is not birthed in a single event. It is bred in concert with experience, partnerships, determination, goals and aspirations. It has a quieter presence.
Peale, in his essay “Believe in Yourself” states, “without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. But with sound self-confidence you can succeed. A sense of inferiority and inadequacy interferes with the attainment of your hopes, but self-confidence leads to self-realization …”
It would be great if one look in the morning mirror told us if confidence or pride were staring back at us. It would be better if we could trust others to tell us if only our pride were on show.
But, as long as our goal is to build confidence so that our professional experiences will be advantageous to all parties, we may not have our fifteen minutes in front of a news camera, but we will be remembered long after we’ve retired and will be spoken well of among peers and associates even after having left our desk, the office or our current position.
J.Forster & Associates “Focusing on the Human Capital of your Business”
tel 1(866)954-3399 | jf@jfandassociates.com | www.jfandassociates.com
