A lot of focus is devoted to acquiring the necessary confidence to be a good leader, but less attention is paid to the importance of confidence in each team member. Confidence is necessary whether you are a leader or a follower.

Those who have their sights set upon being a leader from the beginning usually gained confidence at a relatively early age. You will no doubt remember when you were at school there were probably a few students in each class who always put their hands up to answer questions and did not shy away from the lime-light. The rest of the class, by contrast, probably kept their heads down and eyes averted, not because they did not know the answer, but rather because they did not want to be the centre of attention.

If you identify with that feeling, you will also recall that there were probably two elements at play in that sense of not wanting to draw attention to yourself. One is not wanting all those eyes looking at you and the other is a nagging doubt that you might say the wrong thing, or not know the correct answer. There may also be a fear of blushing or sweating or your voice sounding strange. If this is how you feel it is very hard to focus on what you are doing and upon what is going on around you; instead your attention is turned inwards, meaning that you in fact are highly likely to "miss the point" in what is happening around you.

The majority of us are team members as opposed to leaders. To be a good team member you need to be comfortable in your own skin; you need to have high levels of self-confidence.

What happens if you are not confident? Well, your attention will be turned inwards, and you are likely to respond in one of three main ways. You might shy away from making your own observations and contributions to your team because you have a nagging doubt in your own ability, or you might be so absorbed in your own anxieties that you totally miss the point, or you might over-compensate and come across as super-determined and bullish about your own perspectives and as a result not listen property to others. You may find yourself responding in a way which jumps between all three diverse positions, sometimes acting defensively and at other times displaying aggression.

Everyone benefits from improved self confidence, whether you are a leader or a team member. Confidence is the key to success in everything; it is also a major key to happiness as it allows you to relax and enjoy the things which you encounter. If you lack self-confidence you spend your time anxiously looking inwards instead of outwards.

Confidence is something which can be learned, not just through pure experience but through learning to think in a different way. By changing the focus of your thoughts you will change the way in which you feel, and you can do this easily with the help of hypnosis confidence mp3s.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in hypnosis confidence mp3s.

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