When a leader is absolutely convinced they’ve chosen the best course of action, everyone who follows them unconsciously absorbs this belief. Photo: insta_photos.
Travis Bradberry details some important strengths the best leaders demonstrate to set the tone in their workplaces and gain the confidence of those who follow them.
Conviction in a leader is a valuable yet increasingly rare trait. It’s in short supply because our brains are wired to overreact to uncertainty with fear.
As uncertainty increases, the brain shifts control to the limbic system, the place where emotions, such as anxiety and panic, are generated.
This brain quirk worked well eons ago, when overwhelming caution and fear ensured survival, but that’s not the case today.
This mechanism, which hasn’t evolved, is a hindrance in the workplace, where important decisions must be made every day, often with minimal information.
When things change quickly there can be a great deal of uncertainty about what’s going to happen next month, let alone next year.
Uncertainty takes up a lot of people’s mental energy and makes them less effective at their jobs.
Leaders with conviction create an environment of certainty for everyone.
When a leader is absolutely convinced they’ve chosen the best course of action, everyone who follows them unconsciously absorbs this belief and the accompanying emotional state.
Mirror neurons are responsible for this involuntary response. They mirror the emotional states of other people, especially those we look to for guidance. This ensures that leaders with conviction put us at ease.
When leaders have conviction, people’s brains can relax, so to speak, letting them concentrate on what needs to be done. They’re happier and produce higher quality work.
Demonstrating conviction and setting the tone is easier than you think. The following leadership traits will show you the way.
They’re strong (not harsh): Strength is an important quality in a leader with conviction. People will wait to see if they are strong before they decide to follow their lead.
People need courage in their leader. They need someone who can make difficult decisions and watch over the good of the group. They need a leader who will stay the course.
A lot of leaders mistake domineering, controlling, and otherwise harsh behaviour for strength.
Strength isn’t something you can force on people; you earn it by demonstrating it time and again in the face of adversity. Only then will people trust that they should follow you.
They know when to trust their gut. Our ancestors relied on their intuition — their gut instinct — for survival.
Since most of us don’t face life-or-death decisions every day, we have to learn how to use this instinct to our benefit.
Often, we make the mistake of talking ourselves out of listening to our gut instinct, or we go too far in the other direction and impulsively dive into a situation.
Leaders with conviction recognise and embrace the power of their gut instincts.
They’re relentlessly positive: Leaders with conviction see a brighter future with crystal clarity. They have the energy and enthusiasm to ensure everyone else can see it too.
Their belief in the good is contagious. While this might look natural, leaders with conviction know how to turn on the positivity when the going gets tough.
Positive thoughts quiet fear and irrational thinking by focusing the brain’s attention on something that is completely stress free.
When you’re stressing over a tough decision this can be a challenge. Leaders with conviction hone this skill.
They’re confident (not cocky): We gravitate to confident leaders because confidence is contagious, and it helps us to believe there are great things in store.
The trick, as a leader, is to make certain your confidence doesn’t slip into arrogance and cockiness.
When your confidence loses touch with reality, you begin to think you can do things you can’t. This arrogance makes you lose credibility.
Confident leaders are still humble; they don’t allow their accomplishments and position of authority to make them feel they’re better than anyone else.
They don’t hesitate to jump in and do the dirty work when needed. They don’t ask their followers to do anything they aren’t willing to do themselves.
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They embrace that which they can’t control: We all like to be in control, but this desire for control can backfire when you see everything you can’t control or don’t know as a personal failure.
Leaders with conviction aren’t afraid to acknowledge what’s out of their control.
Their conviction comes from an unwavering belief in their ability to control those things that they can.
They’re role models (not preachers): Leaders with conviction inspire trust and admiration through their actions, not just their words.
Harping about the behaviour you want to see in people all day long has a tiny fraction of the impact you achieve by demonstrating that behaviour yourself.
They’re emotionally intelligent: The limbic system (where emotions are generated in the brain) responds to uncertainty with a knee-jerk fear reaction, and fear inhibits good decision-making.
Leaders with conviction are wary of this fear and spot it as soon as it begins to surface. In this way, they can contain it before it gets out of control.
Once they are aware of the fear, they label all the irrational thoughts that try to intensify it as irrational fears — not reality — and the fear subsides.
Then they can focus more accurately and rationally on the information they have to go on.
They stand behind their people: Leaders with conviction will do anything for their teams, and they have their people’s backs, no matter what.
They don’t try to shift blame, and they don’t avoid shame when they fail. They’re never afraid to say: “The buck stops here”. They earn people’s trust by backing them up.
Conviction assures people that their work matters. They know that if they focus all their energy and attention on a determined direction, it will yield results.
Travis Bradberry is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0, and the co-founder of TalentSmart. His books have been translated into 25 languages and are available in more than 150 countries. He can be contacted at TalentSmart.com. This article first appeared on the TalentSmart website.
