Leading for Organisational Change

Chapter 11Confidence

We can still astonish the gods in humanity

And be the stuff of future legends

If we but dare to be real,

And have the courage to see

That this is the time to dream

The best dream of them all.

Ben Okri¹

How come pretty much every corporate buzzword begins with a C? Courage, conviction, culture, creativity, curiosity, communication, cooperation, collaboration, conflict, client, customer, coaching, celebration, champagne, cake, cheese … oh, wait.

Certainly there were a lot of contenders for the title of this chapter. But ‘confidence’ it is, partly because it seems to me the most striking of the various concepts in terms of its importance in a change context, and partly because it encompasses so many of the other c-ideas listed above. (Also, a chapter on cheese would have been odd.)

In this chapter, we will explore what confidence means – and what it does not mean – and consider how it manifests itself in organisations, and what advantages it confers. I will then outline the various ways in which periods of change can present a challenge to confidence and how organisations can nurture and grow confidence, including by using the foundational concepts of purpose and story.

What Is Confidence?

Let's start with what confidence is not. Confidence is not dogmatism, or arrogance. It is not foolhardy, or superior. It does not swagger. It is not relentless Pollyanna-ish positivity in the face of all evidence to the contrary.

The word ‘confidence’ itself comes from ...