Confidence, a professional aura, and a good personality are all essential qualities that can help you succeed in life. In fact, these are all contributory factors that can enhance a person’s ability to achieve his dreams and ambitions.

Although hard work, dedication, and perseverance are often mentioned as the most common and fundamental virtues that make up a successful person, character also plays a major and undeniable role.  

There is a truckload of self-help books and references that can show you how to work on your confidence and personality. While these may all seem very helpful and insightful, nothing comes close to practice and experience.

Indeed, you can learn theoretically from extensive studies and training. You can also equip yourself with all the knowledge essential to make you succeed in your chosen field.

However, you cannot become competitive if you are unable to present yourself with confidence and if you’re not equipped with the right character and personality. 

Developing Self-Confidence

According to our mentor, Pierre Vincent; confidence comes from acknowledging the fact that in life, “personal growth never stops at any point unless you choose to confine yourself within your comfort zone”.

It is for this reason that he greatly encourages and promotes continuous learning and exploration in order to set foot on higher grounds, achieve more in life, and uncover bigger opportunities.

I believe that this had been his mission for himself ever since which accounted for his successful businesses and versatility as a person.

Pierre doesn’t believe that there is a specific threshold in one’s ability to learn and absorb information.

Thus, he encourages the future generation and young professionals to start developing their confidence the earliest time possible by way of finding their passion, studying and working hard, developing their talents, and acknowledging the fact that there is so much to learn from others.

He also believes that confidence comes from discovering our passions and interest and finding all means to pursue them to make a difference.

Being Aware of the Competition 

As Pierre would say, there is no such thing as becoming an over-achiever; because the world we live in combined with constantly evolving technology and other resources offers a whole lot of opportunities for people.

Therefore, you cannot be too overly confident and comfortable with your natural and acquired skills and talents. Eventually, they can become obsolete and outdated amidst people who are more resourceful, ambitious, and innovative in trying to get ahead.

Still, you can always do something to stay relevant and competitive in this ever-changing world. And this is the only way to become confident in your chosen field.

How to Develop Confidence in a Competitive World According to Pierre Vincent: 

1. Develop sense of awareness.

Being aware of the industry wherein you belong is important. In fact, you cannot get ahead of the competition by simply minding your own business. No amount of hard work will ever be enough unless you learn to acknowledge the presence of your competitors and unless you’re willing to embrace change and innovation. 

In order to become relevant, you have to be aware of your competitors, their activities and strategies, and the current trends in marketing. 

2. Learn how to practice the “art” of being confident.

They say that it helps to “fake it until you make it”. This refers to acting confident until you actually learn how to master the art. Acting confidently can be done by working on your posture and facial expressions, through power-dressing, and by speaking loudly and clearly. 

Think about the things that boost your mood and make you feel good about yourself. It could be a nice physical appearance, the scent of your favorite perfume, or a sleek business suit.

Try to incorporate these elements together and put on the act. You’ll learn to overcome your insecurities over time as you become more comfortable about acting confident. 

3. Work on your communication skills.

If you’re one of those people who feel anxious about having conversations with different people, Pierre suggests different methods that can help you overcome this dilemma. In fact, any conversation can be meaningful if you learn how to make the most out of it.

You can start with the basics like having conversations with people you know. You may also practice the art of communication when talking to random people you come across on a daily basis like baristas in a coffee shop, sales staff in department stores, waitresses, or your neighbors. 

Modern technology now offers opportunities for socially awkward and shy individuals to develop confidence in interacting with other people through social chat lines. An example is by calling men social chat lines or female phone dating lines which allow you to practice your communication skills by talking to real people who can respond to you.

Constantly having conversations with strangers also gives you the chance to explore various topics which can be an enriching experience. This is far more effective in boosting confidence than practicing in front of a mirror.

4. Be Kind to Yourself.

Acknowledge your weaknesses and learn from your mistakes. Keep reminding yourself that everyone messes up at some point and nobody is totally spared from failures.

Your mistakes and failures are the elements that will keep you grounded, and they contribute significantly to your success. 

In a study published by the Journal of Personality in 2009, it is stated that “self-compassion contributes to more consistent confidence.” Therefore, instead of beating yourself up and acting like a loser, try talking kindly to yourself like you would to a loyal friend.

Cut yourself some slack and learn from your mistakes. In time, you would realize that these temporary setbacks are necessary in order for you to come back stronger and better than before.

5. Acknowledge Self-Doubt.

Practice facing your uncertainties and fears that are rooted in a lack of self-confidence. If you’re afraid about the idea of messing up and possibly embarrassing yourself, do it anyway. However, learn to calculate the risks wisely.

This means making all the necessary preparations and doing your best. But don’t wait until you’re 100% confident because you might end up putting off what you can actually achieve now.

Acknowledging self-doubt can actually help you give your best performance. A study published by Psychology of Sport and Exercise in 2010, reveals that athletes who embrace and acknowledge their self-doubt outperformed those who were 100% confident about themselves.

This means that success is not entirely based on having full self-confidence; it can also come from embracing your fears.

Good leadership is one of the fundamentals of running a successful business. It is often said that a good leader is one who is capable of establishing a good rapport with his workers while enabling them to become more productive and efficient in their respective duties.

It takes more than experience and acquired skills to become a good leader; because leadership, in its broadest essence, is a virtue. It is an innate and extraordinary capacity to draw positive changes for the betterment of society. 

What Are the Qualities of a True Leader?

The world is filled with resources and references that will tell you what a good leader is. Our mentor, Pierre Vincent, revealed to us the qualities of a true leader that he believes in.

Being a highly versatile individual who engages in a wide range of interests, Pierre focuses more on the human aspects of a leader rather than on the acquired skills and trained abilities. 

Showing Compassion

Pierre believes in kindness and humanity. He constantly reminds us that “in order to make our business successful, we have to take care of our workers. If we take care of our workers, they will develop a sense of responsibility which will, in turn, drive them to give their best and to take care of our customers. When this is achieved, the business will take care of itself.” 

It’s like a domino effect – as entrepreneurs, it is our duty to show compassion to our employees for them to show compassion to our customers and this will ultimately result in a profitable venture and successful business outcomes.

Acknowledging Each Employee

A true leader understands all aspects of his business – from the most menial job all the way to the most crucial responsibility. This is one of the best ways to earn the respect of your workers.

According to Pierre, making your employees feel that you understand what they are doing and acknowledging their task, no matter how small, will enable them to develop respect towards you as their leader. It makes the employees feel that they are important and thus they become more empowered. 

Building a Pleasant Working Environment

There are many ways to establish rapport with your employees, but Pierre takes special mention about “knowing the names of your employees” especially the ones that you constantly interact with on a regular basis.

According to him, it accounts for a happy and healthy working environment when you, as their boss, address your employees by their names.

Understanding Your Employees Mistakes

According to Pierre, committing a mistake is different from being neglectful and irresponsible. We should learn how to identify the difference. Making mistakes is part of being human. There are times when even the most careful and reliable person does something wrong unintentionally or misses out on something. 

That is why we, as entrepreneurs and leaders, must learn how to make our own adjustments and to practice understanding; because just like us, our employees are capable of making mistakes.

Instead of punishing them, the best way to deal with the situation is by asking them what they have learned from the experience and explaining to them the consequences of their actions.

Conclusion

Not all leadership skills can be learned from books, experience, and other references. Some of the most important qualities of a true leader come from goodwill, humanity, and innate virtues.

As Pierre would always say, behind every successful business is strong and effective manpower that consists of the leader and his employees working synergistically and systematically to achieve a single and common goal.