If you’re a leader, you know the feeling of insecurity. We’ve all had the experience of feeling a lack of confidence in ourselves.
The difficulty of insecurity is that it has such a profound effect on the way that we lead others. When we lead with insecurity, we portray to others a lack of trust and create a dog-eat-dog culture. Even more than that, insecure leaders will eventually create an insecure team, and an insecure team is an ineffective team.
How do you know if you’re an insecure leader?
You blame others for your mistakes.
Insecure leaders never take the blame for their mistakes and will do whatever they can to shift it to someone else. What many insecure leaders don’t know is that a leader who shifts blame never gains respect or influence. The leader who is willing to in humility admit their mistakes and take fault will always have the backing of their team no matter what happens.
You’re threatened by the success of others.
When others are promoted, insecure leaders will have two responses: comparison or contempt. Either the insecure leader will begin comparing their success to others, and be discouraged, or they will have contempt towards others, and find themselves angry that they weren’t promoted themselves.
Great leaders know that celebrating the success of others is one of the most important keys to keeping a pure heart. And great leaders know that the true determination of their success is not what they can do on their own, but what they can empower others to do. As Peter Drucker said, “There’s no success without a successor.”
Your growth has come to a halt.
Insecure leaders never grow to their potential. Why? Because their influence is diminished by their tendency to shift blame, and their ability to develop others is diminished by their fear of other people’s success. Simply put, insecure leaders fear of losing what they have prevents them from gaining what they could have.
Great leaders aren’t limited in potential because they realize their potential is in their power to promote others to do great things, not in their ability to protect their own position.
What areas of leadership are you insecure on? What can you start working on today to become more secure in your leadership?