"... security and confidence are freeing."

 

A thought by Chad Veach from his book, I Work with People (p. 58). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

This is so true.

Chad says, "Security in who you are makes you followable. People love to be around leaders who are comfortable in their own skin, because that attitude releases them to be themselves as well. Keep in mind that confidence comes from security, not the other way around. First you become secure on the inside, then you exude confidence on the outside: confidence in words, confidence in decisions, confidence in social settings, confidence in your calling. Every form of confidence starts with knowing who you are (identity) and valuing who you are (security)."

He continues, "Insecure people sabotage their leadership without even realizing it. They constantly wonder if someone else is more skilled than them or more popular than them. They feel intimidated by the success of their team members, which is counterproductive since the whole point of a team is to accomplish what one person could not. In the process, insecure leaders make everything about themselves. They may not do so intentionally, but it still happens. They somehow manage to turn every occasion and conversation into something that bolsters their own worth and success."

He then says, "Secure leaders, on the other hand, can remain in the background or stand in the spotlight, and it doesn’t change their sense of self-worth at all. Secure people can celebrate others. They are generous with their praise. They share the platform. They don’t think more highly of themselves than insecure people; they simply think about themselves less. They are secure enough in who they are that they can focus the bulk of their attention on their team—and that is precisely what makes them so followable."

So if we strive to become secure on the inside we will then see a difference in our confidence which will help us to be more followable. And that that can be so freeing, can't it?

Yes, yes!