Leadership often requires conveying confidence and purposefulness. Yet it’s not unusual to have self doubt and become discouraged. As a coach, I’ve had occasion to explore the questions leaders ask themselves in private. In this two-part post, we’ll explore common questions raised by people I’ve spoken with. Part One addresses several doubts and fears that keep people up at night.

“I have real doubts about whether I have what it takes to be a leader. How do I know if I can cut it?”

We often have implicit models of leadership that we compare ourselves to, usually unfavorably. Early on in our leadership career, we sometimes feel like an imposter, but even seasoned leaders can preoccupy themselves with qualities they lack. This can result in losing focus on the impact you’re trying to have in the world. Shifting your attention to the work of leadership is one way to deal with doubts and misgivings: What work needs doing? Chances are, the work you’ve taken on is not being done by anyone else, so it’s not as important to be perfect as it is to do something useful.

In addition, if you commit yourself to learning from what went well and what didn’t go well, you’ll almost inevitably develop more skill and confidence as you go along. It’s all learning! In the meantime, it’s helpful to find people who believe in you, who support you, and who can give you good advice.

Finally, if you are clear about how you want to grow as a leader and you consistently practice those skills, you’ll improve your confidence and the doubts and uncertainties will fade into the background.

“Although I want to exercise leadership, I get feedback from others that I have personal shortcomings that get in the way. How seriously should I take this feedback?”

Probably the first thing to do is to figure out what kind of personal shortcomings people are noticing. Some shortcomings reflect a lack of skill or experience. For example, maybe you’re not a polished communicator or writer. In these instances, you can try to develop your skills or you can team up with people who already have those skills. Maybe you do both for awhile until you improve.

Other shortcomings fall more in the realm of personality traits. Examples include being disorganized, being chronically late, being unable to follow through on commitments, or being impatient with others. These characteristics may unfavorably affect people you need to work with, leading them to avoid working with you. But if you’re serious about the issues you want to address, these traits can be kept in check or compensated for.

Another group of shortcomings are more fundamental and speak to whether you will be successful as a leader. If you’re perceived as lacking credibility, integrity, or trustworthiness, it will be difficult to attract and retain constituents. If the feedback you receive falls into this category, it might be useful to do some analysis of your actions and the motivations behind them. Do you make promises that you fully intend to fulfill–at the time? Do you operate on the principle that “the end justifies the means”? Do you find it hard to refuse anyone, even if it means making competing commitments? An objective analysis of the impact of your actions can help you to decide if your actions need to change or if you need to let others take on leadership roles. And although the feedback can sometimes be challenging it’s important to stay open to it.

“Nobody takes me seriously as a leader. What can I do about that?”

Perhaps the most important question to ask yourself is, “Do you take yourself seriously as a leader?” Because if you care deeply about something and you communicate that to other people, eventually you will attract supporters. Especially if you stay focused on the work at hand and develop a track record of serious results. There are many examples of young leaders--people who didn’t not start out with the external trappings of leadership but who were committed to producing results and followed through with actions.

For example, while still in elementary school, a young man named Emanuel Tsourounis II gathered a group of students to complain to the principal that teachers unfairly gave out punishment during quiet time. The group was so persuasive that the principal made changes in the practice.

Throughout his high school years, Tsourounis worked to increase student representation in his local board of education as well as on the state board of education, among other activities. In his junior year in college, Tsourounis co-authored a book aimed at encouraging youth activism. When he was interviewed for a newspaper article, he said “No one’s going to say to you, ‘Come and change something.’ If you see something, you have to say, ‘This is how it can be improved.’ Before you get to that point, you’ve got to recognize that you are just as capable and important as an adult, as someone in city hall, as a taxpayer.”

That message is not relevant only to young people. Many people interested in exercising leadership, especially if they don’t have a formal position or title, can struggle with asserting the confidence needed to attract supporters. But being taken seriously starts with yourself.

Have you had any of these questions? If so, you’re not alone! What other leadership questions have crossed your mind that you’d like some perspective on? Please leave a comment in the box below.

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