Perhaps you’ve heard others say it or perhaps you’ve thought it yourself; senior leaders are confident and poised. When they are speaking in front of people many demonstrate presence and seem to know what to say and when to say it. Others often aspire to be like them, believing that they too must always be polished, confident, and poised – ready with answers for whatever comes next.
“Confidence doesn’t mean you’re always right, it means you’re not afraid to be wrong.” – English Quotes
While this may appear true in certain circumstances, the truth is that at the core senior leaders are no different than you or I because they are people too. Early in my career, I was asked to help a senior leader create a learning session that would be part of a “roadshow” for operational leaders across Canada. We brainstormed, outlined, created, and aligned on what could be a high impact learning session. When it came time for this particular leader to present the proposed session to his c-suite leader and peers he faltered then stumbled. As I watched the presentation unfold in front of me I realized that this leader – several levels more senior than me at the time – had become unsure and lost confidence as questions came forward. I saw him as a person, just like me, imperfect and subject to uncertainty. We weren’t all that different after all. I saw a human being, humbled and in need of support.
Together we collected the feedback, fielded the questions, and built a meaningful learning session that he and his peers could facilitate, with the support of my learning design expertise. I guided them, taught them, and gave them feedback so that they could deliver the learning session to the people they lead across Canada. While doing so, I learned a valuable lesson early in my career.
Do not assume a person knows all the answers just because they are a senior leader. They need the guidance and support of subject matter experts; they feel the feelings of any other human being. While respected, we cannot expect leaders to be perfectly confident and poised in every situation, and we should offer our expertise and support without fear to ensure the best outcome possible. We should hold space for questions, uncertainty, and learning – without judgment, just as we’d hope our leaders would do for us. People are people; and leadership appears at all levels.
