How to Be More Confident: Beth Comstock, Former Vice Chair of GE
Joel Garfinkle Joel Garfinkle
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 Published On Dec 4, 2022

Teach your employees how to be more confident so they can fully leverage their strengths. Buy Joel’s book Executive Presence https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B8RJ5MZV for the employees who need to learn how to convey more confidence and lead with conviction.

Beth Comstock, the former Vice Chair of General Electric, has discussed how she struggled with confidence¬—even though Steve Jobs called her twice to come work for Apple. Early on in her career, then-CEO Jeff Immelt gave her advice on becoming more confident.

In an interview with The Washington Post, she says, “Confidence is something I’ve struggled with for most of my career. I don’t know why. I was raised in a great town with a great family and parents who really encouraged me. But confidence has been vexing for me.”

After a meeting, Jeff Immelt said, “I need to talk to you,” she continues. He told her, "Look, you’ve just got to put it out there more. I mean, why aren’t you being more confident in these situations?” She’d thought she was putting on a pretty good show of confidence, but she hadn’t been taking confident action: sharing opinions and taking chances. He was saying to her, “Look, I need you to voice your opinion. You’re here for a reason, and it doesn’t do the company good, and it doesn’t do you good [to hold back].”
Beth continues, “For me, building confidence has been about putting yourself out there in a little way. Maybe it doesn’t always go well, but it’s not a big risk. Then you feel more confident if it goes well, and you’re willing to take a bigger risk the next time. So that's how I’ve gone about building my confidence: Just trying little things, and when they go well, challenging myself to do the next thing.”

She appreciates how Immelt stepped in to give her this career-changing advice. Had he been less perceptive, he could have let her potential slip through the cracks. But clearly he saw the potential within her and knew he needed to nurture it.

If you’re a leader, take stock of which of your employees just need more confidence to reach the next level. Chances are, some have incredible strengths but don’t voice their opinions or step outside of their comfort zone enough. Like Beth Comstock in her early career, they may just need some clear direction about how to be more confident. Get proactive about helping them gain confidence by telling them the types of behaviors you want to see. Explain why you know they have what it takes. And give them clear feedback on their progress every step of the way.

At https://garfinkleexecutivecoaching.com, learn more about developing the most crucial leadership skills in Joel’s hundreds of articles on topics like growing executive presence.

Visit https://joelinspirationalspeaker.com to learn how a motivational speech or corporate training by Joel will address your company’s distinct needs, helping you reach the next level of success!

Buy Joel’s book Executive Presence: Step Into Your Power, Convey Confidence & Lead with Conviction: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B8RJ5MZV

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