Self-Assurance in a Nutshell
People with Self-Assurance have inner confidence. They trust themselves. They're not reckless, but they don't second-guess their ability to handle what comes.
Self-assured people carry conviction about their capabilities. They don't need external reassurance. They move forward with certainty. Others feel that certainty and follow.
At their best, people with high Self-Assurance inspire confidence in others. Their conviction is contagious. They make bold moves because they believe in their capacity to succeed. They pull others along into bigger plays.
Your Key Contributions
- Decisive action: Your inner confidence lets you decide and move forward when others are still waiting for consensus
- Holding a position: You hold a view under pressure when opinions pull in different directions, which steadies the team
- Owning decisions: You take responsibility for the outcome of your calls, rather than deflecting when things go wrong
Watch Out For
- Overconfidence without sufficient input from others
- Dismissing legitimate concerns as doubt
- Not listening to feedback because you trust your instinct
- Appearing arrogant or closed to other perspectives
The 2 Sides of Self-Assurance
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What Energises You
- Trusting your instinct and being right
- Making bold decisions with conviction
- People responding to your confidence and moving with you
- Not needing external validation
- Being the calm centre when others are uncertain
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What Drains You
- Being questioned or second-guessed constantly
- Needing permission or approval from others
- Doubt in the room because it unsettles you
- People undermining your confidence in your judgement
- Having to explain or justify decisions you're certain about
How Others See You
How to Invest in Self-Assurance for Work
If You're high in Self-Assurance
- Temper conviction with listening to other perspectives.
- Your confidence is powerful; don't use it to shut down dissent.
- Pair with Analytical or Input to ground your conviction in evidence.
- Know that others' questions aren't always doubt; sometimes they're thinking.
Managing Someone Who Leads with Self-Assurance
- Trust their judgement; they're usually right.
- Give them autonomy to make calls without constant approval.
- Use them to inspire confidence during uncertainty.
- Challenge them when their confidence outpaces their information.
Connecting with Someone who Leads with Self-Assurance
- Don't take their conviction personally even if you disagree.
- Bring evidence if you want them to reconsider.
- Respect their certainty; it's a gift, not arrogance.
- Trust them to figure things out.