Before most big presentations at Small Army, I remind my team to present their work with confidence. I tell them that, if they don’t show excitement for the work, they can’t expect others to show it back. In fact, one of our “20 Principles for Building Stronger Relationships” addresses this specific topic – The Picasso Principle: Treat every piece of work like a masterpiece.
However, in thinking a bit deeper about this piece of advice (I can’t help it), I realized that confidence is an interesting trait to promote. When someone doesn’t have enough of it, they come across as weak. But when they have too much of it, they risk coming across as arrogant. And neither makes for a good presentation.
This stream of thought then led me to consider another interesting trait – humility. It’s a quality equally as attractive as confidence but also as equally complicated. If you have too much of it, you become invisible. If you don’t have any of it you are back in the arrogant category.
So, in my constant effort to help brands build relationships with people – and help my team become stronger professionals and presenters – I decided to define a new phrase: Humble Confidence. (Although, after doing a quick Google search, I found that I’m not the first to use this phrase, so I can’t really say I coined it).
Humble Confidence
Def: The perfect blend of confidence and humility that, when demonstrated effectively, can be highly attractive to others.
Ex: She accepted the award with humble confidence.
Adj: Humbly Confident
To help guide you in applying this new personal trait for yourself and your brand, below here are a few helpful tips:
1. Give credit where credit is due
When a light shines on a humbly confident person/brand, they are quick to shine it onto others. They credit family, co-workers, customers, partners and others for all of their accomplishments.
2. Acknowledge the competition
To a humbly confident person/brand, competitors are not viewed as a threat. They are simply a benchmark against which they like to be measured. They recognize that competitors do some things well, but don’t fear a comparison. In fact, they often encourage it.
3. Recognize your weaknesses
Everyone has weaknesses. A humbly confident person/brand knows what they are, and isn’t afraid of sharing them. They focus on what they do well and don’t try to be something they aren’t. When someone needs expertise in those areas of weakness, a humbly confident person encourages them to go elsewhere.
4. Let others brag for you
A humbly confident person/brand doesn’t brag. When they achieve noteworthy success, they follow the rules above. In turn, all those who were given credit for making it happen spread the word.
I hope this new personality trait brings you much success and many new relationships. In the meantime, please share your thoughts, and any other tips that can help us all demonstrate humble confidence.
Until next time,
Jeff Freedman
CEO/Managing Partner
Small Army | Finn Partners