This is how good self-esteem enhances our leadership capacity

Leadership ability is a very valuable psychological characteristic both in private and professional life. For example, being a good leader allows us to inspire and raise our sons and daughters well, help energize our groups of friends to avoid always falling into the same routines, and it can even be useful in the world of hobbies and hobbies based on cooperation.

In addition, there are currently many companies that require certain job profiles to have a high capacity for leadership, either to be at the helm of a company department or to stay in front of a work project

However, leadership is not a personal quality that exists in a vacuum, disconnected from the rest of the person's characteristics. In fact, the ability to be a leader is a skill closely related to having good self-esteem. Let's see why.

• Related article: "Do you really know what self-esteem is?"

What are self-esteem and leadership?

Self-esteem is the way we have people to value ourselves and to compare ourselves with respect to other people or based on an ideal that we would like to resemble.

This assessment is of an emotional nature, and does not always correspond to the person we really are, that is, it may be deformed. In summary: people with a good self-image have high self-esteem, while those with a poor and pessimistic self-image have low self-esteem.

Leadership, on the other hand, is the ability to organize, guide and orient other people with the aim of achieving any success in work projects, specific jobs or in any area of ​​daily life that involves cooperation and coordination.

This ability is one of the most in-demand skills in today's job market and can be trained in many ways.

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How can a good self-esteem strengthen our ability to lead?

These are some of the psychological processes through which good self-esteem acts as an ally when leading teams or groups of people in the professional or personal field.

1. Avoid blockages in front of others

The dizzying pace and increasingly high demands of today's job market mean that some people end up having real blockages in situations that they cannot or do not know how to solve, especially if they know that the actions that other people are going to carry out will depend on their decisions.

This type of frequent blockages or constant doubts about how to act (even if you have the skills necessary to perform that particular task) can be overcome by having adequate self-esteem and believing in oneself. same.

With a good level of self-esteem, each person will be able to successfully overcome any blockage or doubt that may arise, something that is key when leading, because leadership requires acting with fluidity and knowing how to measure time.

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2. Allows you to face conflicts and not run away from them

In the workplace it is very common to have to deal daily with all kinds of conflicts, problems and clashes of interests that must be overcome to move forward.

It is very common for some people to have certain difficulties in overcoming this type of conflict, either due to lack of experience or simply because you consider that you are not prepared to overcome them with success.

Self-esteem, in these cases, plays a fundamental role, since having an optimal level of it will help to mediate and promote measures of apology and reparation of damages, something necessary to keep groups together.

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3. Prevents excessive shyness from hindering communication

Self-esteem is also of great importance in overcoming interpersonal communication difficulties and the excesses of shyness that some people show when they have to interact with co-workers, superiors or even subordinates.

And it is that social and communication skills are of vital importance in any individual or team work environment, both to know what is happening at each moment within the team or work group, to know the current situation of each department or people to lead and make strategic decisions relevant.

4. Help inspire others

High self-esteem is also necessary when it comes to inspire other co-workers who need guidance or support, as well as to serve as a role model in work teams in which we work together or that are under our responsibility.

In addition to that, people who have an adequate level of self-esteem do not usually worry about "what will they say", and are willing to communicate and inspire by appealing to emotions, with the aim of motivating their colleagues without any fear of "highlight".

And it is that an element closely related to the ability to inspire other people in an environment work is also the ability to motivate, one of the essential virtues that every good Leader.

While people with low self-esteem do not trust their possibilities and limit themselves to transmitting textual information in a dehumanized way, a leader with high self-esteem will know how to appeal to the emotions of others to move her and increase the motivation of her team.

• Related article: "Types of motivation: the 8 motivational sources"

5. lets give an example

As we have seen, people with high self-esteem also play a very important role in any company, which is to serve as a role model to other peers who need guidance and support of any type.

In any work environment it is necessary for leaders to demonstrate to other colleagues and also to subordinates that it is possible to be emotionally well, at peace with oneself, and at the same time work diligently directing any project or team.

6. Strengthens assertiveness to represent the collective

Good self-esteem makes it possible for us not to tolerate disrespect towards us in our role as leaders, and allows us to assert our rights and interests in any project we represent, always respecting the integrity and dignity of other people (a social skill known as assertiveness).

7. Generates a high degree of involvement in each project

A high self-esteem allows us to identify at all times the needs and interests of each project in which we are participating and enables maximum involvement from minute one in pursuit of its success, because facilitates that we see ourselves capable of reaching the objectives to be achieved collectively.

8. Allows you to maintain a firm strategy

Good self-esteem means that we do not depend on the constant approval of others, which helps us not to make our leadership lurch to adjust to the expectations of others.

A good leader with high self-esteem will always be ahead of the success of the common project and will lead at all times with discipline and believing in their methods and strategies.

Do you want to improve your self-esteem?

If you want to strengthen your self-esteem by learning to properly manage your emotions and your beliefs about yourself, get in touch with me; You will be interested in the 8-week Mindfulness MBSR and self-leadership program that I offer.

My name is Lorraine Irribarra, I am a licensed psychologist and Mindfulness instructor, and I offer emotion and anxiety management courses based on scientifically validated methods.