For those of you who hate to scroll all the way down for the answer, here it is – ‘both’. This is where things get interesting. Read on to find out how overconfidence, when used aptly, can really positively impact your business.
Before we go ahead, let’s try and understand what overconfidence means. It simply refers to a state where a person exudes confidence in excess; almost to a level where it may make him or her appear rather stupid. Now, there are two ways about the fact that overconfidence, when used in situations where the person lacks a certain amount of awareness about his or her surroundings, can lead to an undesirable outcome.
Now, let’s analyse why the above happens. Basically, there are a few factors contributing to the downfall.
- Lack of knowledge of surroundings
- No self-awareness
- No real basis for confidence to exist
- The hype of excess confidence without a base
Out of the things we see, only point no. 4 is absolutely about overconfidence. So, one can’t help but think, what if the first three points are in order; does overconfidence help or hurt then? Sure, but there’s another vital element one must consider – “how the overconfidence is manifested”
Non-verbal overconfidence
Body language is the secret communication of human beings. We don’t even realise what kinds of signs we’re giving out to people around us. Studies have shown that non-verbal overconfident gestures such as a raised head, tall projection and calm vibe go a long way to making people around you create a good impression of you in their heads.
While vocal ways of projecting confidence, like raising your voice and stating specific facts definitely can be helpful in certain situations, they’re always vulnerable to measurement against results. In other words, whatever you say can be used against you if your performance does not match up to your words. In simpler words, people can easily dismiss you by saying you don’t walk the talk.
On the other hand, the virtue of projecting confidence through your body is in its subtlety and immeasurability. Even in situations where things look grim, calm body language has a capacity to send ripples of positive energy to people around you.
Now, imagine going back to your 4 points above. Let’s assume you have an important power meeting to attend. You want to take time to make sure your first three points are taken care of. Firstly, know your surroundings; it goes a long way in helping you get comfortable. For instance, have you ever noticed this – when you map out a location to go to (because you don’t know the area), the journey seems long until you’ve reached. However, when you’re on your way back and now know the way, it seems short and easy.
Moving on, be aware of your business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats. As overstated as the cliche SWOT analysis sounds, it is still highly effective, as it gives you a clear idea about what you can do with your tools.
Thirdly, now that you know your surroundings and are aware of your strong and weak points, you have enough reason to project a sense of confidence, but before you do, make sure you feel it within. It has to be genuine.
Now that these 3 factors are in place, overconfidence can really make things interesting. Mind you, we’re not equating overconfidence with arrogance; we’re actually binding confidence with optimism. See that glass not only as if it’s half full, but completely brimming with water. Wondering how this will help? Imagine the below scenario:
You’re pitching a business idea to an important group of stakeholders. You’ve been working on this for months, and now have a near-perfect plan. Like everything else, plans need to evolve to action, to become a reality, and it’s only natural that, during this transition, there may be a couple of hiccups – learnings, if you will. As a thorough thinker, your SWOT analysis will tell you what these weak points may be. Keep those in your head. You’re here to talk about a plan that, in most probability, is going to work because you have studied it thoroughly and have enough base to feel confident. This is where you can take the liberty of projecting your 95% winning idea to 100%. How? Through your body language – your gestures, your posture. Because, it is then that you’ll realise that it is the right vibes that bring together an awesome team.
