Before I date myself too much, I’m 46 years old…so I’m going to reference one of my favorite TV commercial lines from the early 90’s from the famed 70 year old one-armed push up actor Jack Palance.
“Confidence is very sexy.”
Confidence is not only sexy - it’s convincing! And in a world of hyper aggressive sellers who push until you buy, confidence is likely the one attribute that sets apart the cheesy sellers from the business professionals who are generally interested in helping customers solve problems but just happen to have a sales title. By its very definition “the state of feeling certain about the truth,” confidence can grab the attention of your audience just enough for you to earn the right to speak about your solution and how it relates to the problem they’re faced with. Then the magic starts as the cheesy sellers are gone, and you sit side-by-side with your customer and get real work accomplished.
Just as any life skill is practiced and matured over time, so is confidence. It’s an attitude that sparks emotions and leads to an action which ultimately changes one's behavior. Over the decades of my career I’ve seen common attributes that are consistent across confident and successful professionals. Inc Magazine recently published an article that validates the points below (look it up – Remarkably Confident People).
Look The Part
The exterior is the window to the interior. It doesn’t take long for inner feelings to manifest into sloppy clothes and an apathetic demeanor. People dominating in life take care of themselves and how they look. If you’ve heard the phrase “fake it until you make it” - this is it. Be worthy of attention and you’ll get it.
Listen More Than You Speak
Bragging is a mask for insecurity. Confident people are quiet and unassuming. They know what they think and they want to know what you think. Truly confident people realize they know a lot, but they wish they knew more, and they know the only way to learn is to listen.
Let The Spotlight Shine On Others
If you care about the spotlight, don’t show it. Confident people know what they’ve achieved and prefer to lead by pushing the “glory” to others. Standing back and celebrating their accomplishments through others not only displays confidence, but it boosts the confidence of those around them. True validation comes from within, not needing it from others.
Work hard in silence and let success be your noise.