The school theme RISE as leaders of tomorrow, demonstrating Respect, Empathy, Skill Acquisition and Empathy will continue to guide us, as we move into the academic year 2021.

This month the focus will be on the letter S, which stands for  Self-Assurance. Someone who has self-assurance shows confidence in the things that they say and do because they are sure of their abilities.

Cecelie Berry says, “Self -assurance doesn’t come from looking perfect and having a great title, but from accepting yourself with all your mistakes and eccentricities”

Why is Self-Assurance important?

Greater self-confidence allows you to experience freedom from self-doubt and negative thoughts about yourself. Experiencing more fearlessness and less anxiety. Greater confidence makes you more willing to take smart risks and more able to move outside your comfort zone. Having greater freedom from social anxiety.

The Role of Self-Assurance

According to research at Najafi Global Mindset Institute, self-assurance is a combination of self-confidence, energy level and resilience. Leaders must believe that they can successfully take on more complex work. They need the energy to juggle multiple roles, issues and tasks at the same time. They also need a healthy dose of resilience – the ability to bounce back when things don’t go well.

All three of these can amount to a big psychological leap at each turn in the leadership pipeline.

Tips for developing Self-Assurance

1.  Determine what it is about a situation that makes you uncomfortable, and then identify resources and support to help you prepare yourself specifically in these areas.

2.  Practise being self-confident by rehearsing what you will say or do in the situation you have in mind.

3.  Ask a mentor to observe you in a new or challenging situation and to give you feedback.

4.  Remind yourself of your strengths and successes by listing them or even creating a visual that reminds you of them and boosts your self-assurance.

5.  Practise engaging in situations that are uncomfortable for you to build your success strategies (e.g. start conversations with new people, try new activities and experiences).

6.  Create a vision board (e.g. images that represent future goals and success), and post it in a visible spot so you maintain high mental energy in achieving them.

Garry Wills says, “Self-assurance reassures others”

 

A more detailed explanation from Gallup:

Self-Assurance is similar to self-confidence. In the deepest part of you, you have faith in your strengths. You know that you are able — able to take risks, able to meet new challenges, able to stake claims, and, most important, able to deliver. But Self-Assurance is more than just self-confidence. Blessed with the theme of Self-Assurance, you have confidence not only in your abilities but in your judgment. When you look at the world, you know that your perspective is unique and distinct. And because no one sees exactly what you see, you know that no one can make your decisions for you. No one can tell you what to think. They can guide. They can suggest. But you alone have the authority to form conclusions, make decisions, and act. This authority, this final accountability for the living of your life, does not intimidate you. On the contrary, it feels natural to you. No matter what the situation, you seem to know what the right decision is. This theme lends you an aura of certainty. Unlike many, you are not easily swayed by someone else’s arguments, no matter how persuasive they may be.

This Self-Assurance may be quiet or loud, depending on your other themes, but it is solid. It is strong. Like the keel of a ship, it withstands many different pressures and keeps you on your course.

To conclude, as rightly said by, Lolly Daskal, in The Leadership Gap, “Self-assurance, reassures others and reassures yourself.”

She has listed a few ways in which leaders can improve and build self-confidence and thereby increase their own self-assurance.

As our students continue to grow and progress, we do hope that they do imbibe this important attribute of Self-Assurance to hold them in good stead as leaders of tomorrow thereby making their teams better and more productive.

Warm Regards!!
Melissa Maria
Principal