Could CONFIDENCE be OVER-RATED? John J Arent

The title of this post is a mis-print, right?  No, it is not a typo.  

One of my most popular blogs was one written a few weeks ago on "How to build confidence".  

http://amgtconsulting.blogspot.com/2012/06/9-ways-to-build-confidence.html

Now, just a month or so later, I have done a 180 on it and say that Confidence is over-rated.  Here are my thoughts...

It is that "over the top" disposition that I am describing when I state that confidence is over-rated.  I have always been a devotee of CONFIDENCE and routinely looked for this trait in hiring or mentoring.  Confidence, as a quality has dropped appreciably in my hiring standards and before you agree or disagree, take a moment to read the short post that I put together today.  I would really appreciate any thoughts that you may have on this topic!

Would you enjoy working for a pompous manager?  One who often times is arrogant, pretentious and “full of himself”?   Most people would say no.  They would dread going to work every day being told exactly what to do, how to do it and be under a microscope for everything that they did.  They also would benefit from some ear plugs so they do not have to “listen” to the self assured egomaniac.  In fact, despite the current economy where job loss is abundant, over half of the working public either are dissatisfied with their current company or “hate” their jobs!  So, with that said, why do we seek people who show a tremendous amount of confidence in what they do?  Isn’t it confidence that leads people to be pious, self righteous, snobbish people?  In some ways, it is and my thoughts are that perhaps we need to re-look at “how confident someone is” before we bring them on board.  The worse thing that one could do would be to hire and cultivate a culture of ruthless leadership where people are so insecure that they need to pounce on people.  This said, we obviously want knowledgeable and bright people who decipher through complex problems.  There has to be a fine line between the two.  Here are my thoughts:

It’s been said that only fools are certain of anything.  With this in mind, let’s start here as a preliminary point.  We want to hire good people who can grow.  These people are more receptive to coaching and mentoring issues that help self-development.  There is no one whom I have ever met who knows everything, yet how many times have we run into someone who exhibits no humility whatsoever?  This person always has to be right.  Give me the choice and I will choose the man 100% of the time when they are truly open to exploring new ideas and techniques.  Look for people who are routinely challenging themselves to be better.  An individual who is on the cutting edge of skill sets in their profession and is always seeking ideas to re-invent themselves with newer and better technology.

I believe that there are a number of managers who are reading this right now who have a different viewpoint.  I used to view confidence as a key hiring trait.  I no longer have that view.  I want to make the best hiring decision for the company and the candidate.  I also use the company culture as a key factoring in my decision making process. My #1 priority is for both the company and candidate to prosper.  I also want to ensure myself that I am not hiring a group of people who will ultimately become leaders of my organization who feel that they “know it all”.  This will help to pave the path for a great tomorrow by having people on board who want to develop and grow.  The innovation that top companies encourage can only come from people who feel that they are not "above it all". 

This is a growing challenge in today’s business environment and I wanted to post my thoughts on it.  What are yours?