Building Your Confidence and Self-Esteem

“Our own attitudes have far more to do with
how happy we are than do
any external circumstances.”
Dr. Nathaniel Branden

Being a great supervisor starts with you. The way you feel and see yourself affects every aspect of your role as a leader. William James, the great philosopher and psychologist, once observed that the greatest discovery of our age has been that we, by changing the inner aspects of our thinking, can change the outer aspects of our life. Or as another sage puts it, “We aren’t what we think we are, but what we think, we are!” The higher your self-esteem, the better your chances are of being a great supervisor and a great leader. This chapter discusses the importance of self-esteem and what you can do to raise your self-esteem to an even higher level.

As a first step to enhancing self-esteem, we can begin with a self-assessment. This is an opportunity for you to take an honest look at yourself and assess how you feel about your abilities as a supervisor. In which aspects of supervision do you have a high degree of confidence? In which aspects are you unsure or feel a lack of confidence? The Self-Esteem Assessment below gives you a starting point to determine your strengths as a supervisor and leader, as well as providing a springboard for setting goals and improving skills.