🎤 + HARPER LEE = YOU NEVER REALLY UNDERSTAND A PERSON UNTIL YOU CONSIDER THINGS FROM HIS POINT OF VIEW… UNTIL YOU CLIMB INSIDE OF HIS SKIN AND WALK AROUND IN IT.
NOT KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONFIDENCE AND ARROGANCE IS HOLDING US BACK FROM SHOWCASING OUR BEST TALENTS.
HERE’S WHY THIS MATTERS:
Nathaniel Branden, author of “Self-Steem at Work: How Confident People Make Powerful Companies,” said it this way:
Low self-confidence can result in a fear of failure, manifesting as stress, anxiety, and even depression. In the workplace, this can lead to a lack of innovation and risk-taking due to employees’ fears of being criticized or failing.
We know we need confidence, but oftentimes we hesitate to raise our hand and use our voice out of fear that we might be seen as arrogant.
So we hold back our voice, our ideas, our talents, and our gifts.
Isn’t that a bit backward? To avoid seeming arrogant, we make ourselves smaller than we actually are, unwilling to showcase the confidence we have in ourselves and the tasks set before us as leaders.
🎤 MIC CHECK: THE FEARFUL LINE
There are three key differences between arrogance and confidence.
- Fear. Those who are arrogant are fearful that they might be found out, or they are fearful that others might not admire them as much as they want to be admired.The vocalization of their talents and accomplishments comes from a deep-rooted fear that they are not enough. Thus, they overcompensate in anger and vociferous announcements of their greatness.
- Service. Confident people vocalize and showcase their talents out of service to others.
They recognize that their skills and talents have gotten them where they are now, and they can be useful at this moment. Those who are arrogant are only looking to serve themselves. - Humility. I hate to add this to the already muddled concept of confidence vs. arrogance because, too often, we think humility means hiding. And, that is NOT the case.Humility is simply an understanding that you are rooted in your talents and that there is always room to grow. Even in the areas of expertise we have, there is always something that we didn’t know and some new innovation that we can learn from.Are you fearful of being perceived as arrogant?Perception of ourselves starts with ourselves. Do you perceive yourself as someone willing to use your skills and talents for others, or just exclusively for your own gain?That may be the question you get to ponder when you are toeing the line between the two.
Keep speaking up your story,
ENCORE: MORE TO EXPLORE
THE FINE LINE BETWEEN ARROGANCE AND CONFIDENCE
Confidence and arrogance are closely tied to one crucial factor: fear. When we fear others discovering our weaknesses, we tend to boast, not to help others, but to mask our insecurities. True confidence, though, stems from a different source. Click below to learn more.
THEN THERE WAS THE TIME I WAS AN ARROGANT JERK…
Confidence comes from self-awareness. Arrogance comes from fear. I would know. I lived my life in fear and arrogance, and, unfortunately, I burned many bridges because of it. What I didn’t know at the time was how destructive my fear was. Click below to read more about how I learned to differentiate between these two similar emotions.
