Some necessary qualities in life have no expiry dates – they only get better with age. Confidence and perspective are two of these. They’re intertwined: a lack of confidence breeds a lack of perspective. Together they enable us to become more comfortable with the hard lessons of failure rather than focusing inconsolably on regrets. They allow us to embrace the unassailable imperative of finding out who we are and living that identity unconditionally. They instill in us the why of our purpose and make us adaptive and resilient – hence better prepared to understand, accept or tolerate what may lie ahead.
In my practice as an executive performance coach, I’ve encountered leaders who’ve had doubts about whether they had “what it takes” or is required to build thriving enterprises in an increasingly volatile, complex and hyper-competitive business landscape. Their receptivity to learning makes them more aware, open and willing to challenge convention, take risks and experiment, and alter the old playbooks that led to success in past. Acquiring greater confidence and perspective in dealing with internal and external conflicts is high on the learning agenda of smart leaders.
According to the 27th Annual Global CEO Survey, almost half of CEOs today wonder whether their organizations will be here in ten years. And with good reason. The twenty largest and most profitable companies in the world just over two decades ago are no longer on that list. At that time, they had a 92% chance of survival beyond five years; now they have less than a 20% chance. The Harvard Business Review confirms this stark reality – “businesses are disappearing faster than ever.” The threats to corporate viability increase and compound every year. So, why wouldn’t leaders be questioning their willingness to prevail against such odds? When insecurity roars, confidence and perspective come under assault
Perspective is a function of confidence. Like “gut intelligence” – a consequence of repeated pattern recognition – it only deepens and strengthens with age. Older minds might process information more slowly than younger ones but they also intuitively synthesize a lifetime of experiences and make smarter decisions based on decades of learning from their mistakes. Among the several advantages of being old, we are generally more confident in dealing with calamities and crises because we’ve managed to work through or around them in past.
Perspective is a quality of mind that reminds us of the need for patience, focus, resolve and flexibility in the pursuit of becoming better in our choices. It enables us to re-examine both the good and the bad and the consequent decisions we must make under ambivalent circumstances. It informs us that acquiring a better understanding of the often mysterious and unpredictable human condition, as infuriating and yet endearing as it can be, is the fuel that powers our confidence and perspective.
Despite our good intentions or desire to comprehend how “the new normal” – a convenient mistruth we like to tell ourselves – will impact our lives, we’re always captive to our prejudices and beliefs. Our biases are an intellectual handicap that weakens the immune system of our confidence in the face of uncertainty or resistance. In consequence, they generate perverse errors of judgment, especially when they contradict our cherished model of reality. This lack of perspective results in our being more easily manipulated or defeated. In contrast, confidence is thinking more critically, judiciously and creatively. And acting formidably.
Perspective and confidence are the antidotes needed to transcend this myopia. A lack of same prevents us from taking control of our lives and making good choices. When our paradigm of how the world should work suffers from self-doubt, paranoia or the debilitating expectations of others, we become intransigent and inflexible – which is why so many make decisions in the same way while anticipating different results. Conversely, perspective and confidence teach us to expect the unexpected and to look at difficult circumstances through a different lens. To paraphrase Thoreau, it’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see that counts.
Perspective and confidence are acquired through realistic self-appraisal, constructive self-criticism and beneficial feedback. These are essential for repurposing our inner compass – the guidance system we use to navigate around obstacles and along the byways of life. In doing so, we can become self-aware and receptive to more imaginative interpretations of our existence. And the possibility of discovering how to conceive what others may not, or won’t. As Sherlock said to Watson: “I see no more than you, but I have trained myself to notice what I see.” Confidence and perspective are acquired by training the mind to emerge from it’s routine comfort zone and think differently. And that’s not necessarily an age thing.
Self-appraisal is healthy; self-loathing and self-blaming are not. Self-congratulation and admiration easily metastasize into resentment and despair in the insecure and envious. When honest and balanced, criticism is an essential survival skill of the creative spirit. Knowing and being true to thine own self is the foundation of confidence and perspective. When we learn to listen to and assess the validity of feedback, we can use it as a catalyst for growth. Adversity strengthens character. Perspective enables us to be less concerned about the past and more interested in what’s to come. Mountain tops inspire us; valleys mature us. Failure isn’t about falling down; it’s about getting up, recalibrating and moving forward.
P.S. Whatever your faith may be, Happy Holidays!