Confidence = Preparation + Courage
It always amazes me when I see someone on television holding a press conference - a lawyer outside a courtroom, a businessperson at the launch of a new product. Reporters ask hardball questions. The answers are given with conviction, without hesitation. The person being questioned exhibits supreme confidence. Where does that confidence come from? How do they get it? What lessons are there for those of us who also have to face difficult circumstances and need that same, high level of confidence? You may be facing a difficult task. It might be something very unpopular. It might be something confrontational. It could be something you have never done before or puts you or your business at risk. It could be that you will have to make a speech in public. It is easy, under those circumstances, to hyperventilate, have sweaty palms and jittery knees. Whether it is making a sales presentation, implementing a new project, interviewing a prospective employee, disciplining someone, or having an argument with a vendor it will go so much better if you are confident of success. That confidence comes from knowing the outcome you want to achieve, being prepared and being courageous. It comes from the inner knowledge that you are ready for the task at hand - you have done your homework, you have practiced, and you have looked for external contingencies that might otherwise interfere with your success. Knowing you have the courage to overcome your fears and dive in to the troubled waters of difficult or unpopular tasks bolsters your confidence. Being prepared and courageous makes it easy to be confident and take on that task so, before embarking on any new venture, create a list of all the steps necessary to become as well prepared as possible. Go over your action steps and work through them one by one. Your list might be something simple with few steps that take just a short outline or it might be complex requiring many pages of notes, instructions, trainings, many meetings and practice sessions before you have the confidence to get on that path of success. Then square up your shoulders, take a deep breath, and go out there with confidence. Larry Galler coaches and consults with high-performance executives, professionals, and small businesses since 1993. He is the writer of the long-running (every Sunday since November 2001) business column, "Front Lines with Larry Galler" Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.larrygaller.com Email Larry larry@larrygaller.com for more information.
MORE RESOURCES:
work at home mother mom entrepreneur - Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Lets Not Forget About The Little Guy Every business has to start somewhere. What truly makes this country great is the freedom of enterprenuership that every one of its citizens have. The Six "F" Words Every Entrepreneur Should Know Start your own business, and soon enough, you find yourself in a situation where there are many things you want to say, all of them unprintable.It happens to every entrepreneur - a moment of extreme challenge that causes you to wonder why you started the (expletive) business in the first place. Be an Entrepreneur The Department of Labor predicts that the #1 employer in 2010 will be "self." A recent Internet poll of 25-44 year olds revealed that 90% of them hoped to own their own business. Seven Key Qualities of Successful Entrepreneurs A recent poll conducted by Forbes magazine shows that majority of its readers would prefer to become a billionaire rather than a Nobel peace prize winner, a great scientist or a famous athlete. There is no secret that most of the average people dream about getting rich albeit very few makes any real effort to become one. Adding a Service After You Buy a Business When you buy a business, you should have a plan. Why have you chosen that particular business? Why that particular time to buy a business? What can you bring to the business? Some of the most successful business stories are of people who buy a business with the intention of bringing their specialized set of skills to it, and using them to grow the business. Near-death Experience is the Mother of Invention for Two Dallas Electricians To morning commuters, the hulking truck encircled with barricades and traffic cones may be nothing more than a road-clogging nuisance.For Kerem Tepecik and Dale Vith, two men who've made a good living by changing light bulbs forty feet above the pavement, the so-called "bucket truck" is more ominous. Boundary Setting 101 for Solo Entrepreneurs Select the best response to the statement below:As a solo entrepreneur, setting boundaries is all about?.a. Work vs Play: Which is the Better Way to Make Big Money? If you want to make big money, you have to play not to work."What do you mean by that?" You ask. Enterprising Route is to Go Your Own Way DON'T talk to me about education for entrepreneurs. They're pouring far too much public money into it already - not counting the millions some well-known Scottish entrepreneurs are prepared to waste on it. Defining a R&D Framework for Entrepreneurship and Innovation on Information Product Generation IntroductionKnowledge is the key resource that forms the institutional basis of the post-industrial economy and society. It should be empasized that it is institutions of higher education that give tangible expression to this argument by acting as catalysts for knowledge and research-driven economic growth as well as well-being enhancement. Veteran Entrepreneurs Are Growing In Ranks When I'm not running my own business, writing articles about business, speaking to groups and organizations about business, or consulting with companies who want my advice about the running of their business, I teach a weekly class on the subject of (care to guess?) starting and running a business.To quote my frequently-mentioned and wise-beyond-her-years teenage daughter, Chelsea, "Dad, you really need to get a life. Selecting a Venture The basic rule is simple: "Find a market need and fill it!" The process of finding the need, and the method chosen to fill it are where the difficulties arise.Based on our opportunity scan, does the market need a product or service that is not currently being provided? Is there a needed product or service currently being provided in a less than satisfactory way? Is some particular market being underserved due to capacity shortages or location gaps? Can we serve any of these needs with some competitive advantage?Remember that a business idea is not a business opportunity until it is evaluated objectively and judged to be feasible. Six Steps to Guarantee Your Business Success Many of us slave away for years for one uninspiring company after another and dream of the day when we can sack the boss and go it alone.If you're contemplating starting your own business then I'm here cheering you on from the sidelines because the best decision I ever made was to walk away from my well paid but oh so frustratingly boring job and start my own business from scratch. Time Management Tips for Solo Entrepreneurs Does it seem like everyone and everything is vying for yourattention all at once? It can be hard for solo entrepreneursto know what to do first, let alone try to find the time to get caught up. Here are some time management tips that will help youto stay on top of it all:1. The Use of Common Stock in Venture Capital Transactions When raising capital for a business venture, a company can either raise debt capital, equity capital or a combination of the two. Debt capital is money loaned to the company at an agreed interest rate for a fixed time period. Financial Strategies for Transitioning from Salaried to Solo 7 Financial Strategies for Transitioning from Salaried to SoloA 40's something woman was talking to me the other day about her growing sense of frustration with "working for someone else" and her longing to "do my own thing, drive my own wagon". But, she said with consternation, "I have family counting on me and a standard of living I don't want to sacrifice. From Bank Clerk to Entreprenuer What seems like a century ago, I left school and joined a well-known High Street Bank. In those days working as a bank clerk was a well-established route for many school leavers and perceived to be a proper job with prospects. Competitive Edge In his book, The Road Ahead, Bill Gates of Microsoft writes of "friction-free capitalism" made possible by developments in communications, chief among them the Internet and its World Wide Web. In this context, "friction" is everything that keeps markets from functioning as the "perfect competition" of economics textbooks. The Dirty Dozen 1) No Umbrella Business Plan or Strategy -- Without a plan, there's no serious way to gauge the growth and progress of your business. You need a realistic map for where the customers will come from and where your business is going. Why Most CEOs & Entrepreneurs Fail? Times are tough. The economy is in a constant state ofupheaval.
|
| Section Home | Section Site Map |
Copyright © 2005-2007 by A Christian Mother's Guide. All Rights Reserved.
Web Development by Cotton Graphic Design
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
