06/11/2024

Three Ways Leaders Can Strike the Right Balance Between Confidence and Caution

Extremes in confidence and caution can affect your team's flow

Leadership requires a delicate balance between confidence and caution. Both are needed, and leaders must be able to move between them. Yet there are leaders whose default is the extremes. Some leaders always want to be right and on the other side of the spectrum; others are always trying to avoid being wrong at all costs. One is overconfident, and the other is overcautious. These two leadership approaches, as blind spots, can have severe consequences on their decision-making, relationships and overall effectiveness.

Consider Alex and Taylor, both senior executives at different tech firms. Alex was known for his assertiveness and confidence, but his team had become increasingly disengaged and less efficient. On the other hand, Taylor was well-liked by his team, but they struggled to make timely decisions, affecting the team’s effectiveness. For instance, Alex’s team missed a crucial deadline due to his overconfidence in their ability to deliver. In contrast, Taylor’s team lost a potential client because of his overcautious approach to decision-making.

Both leaders were concerned about how their team’s performance would reflect on them. They both thought their team lacked accountability. However, it was evident that the problem wasn’t their team; it was their leadership style. Alex was highly overconfident, and Taylor was extremely overcautious. 

Please select this link to read the complete article from Fast Company.