Hiring managers often claim to prefer employees with the right character traits and organizational fit over those with the right education, training, skills and experience. They want people with a positive attitude, drive and passion. But what they are really looking for are people who exude confidence. Finding a highly confident employee is viewed like striking gold! Why? Confident people are seen as being self-assured, reliable, assertive, positive, dependable and steady. Confident people also tend to be charismatic, extroverted, and have strong social skills. In most cultures, these are highly desirable qualities. Also, in practically every culture — but especially in the technologically-advanced, developed world – confidence is equated with competence. We automatically assume that confident people are able, skilled and talented.
On the surface, this sounds right. Who doesn’t want to hire a confident go-getter!? However, this is the epitome of judging a book by its cover. Managers often hire people based on confidence rather than on their actual ability to do the job. That’s because employers commonly confuse confidence for competence. In fact, they even sound alike. This is especially true when filling leadership positions. Unfortunately, confidence is the pyrite — or Fools Gold — of leadership traits. On the surface, confidence looks like competence… attractive and desirable. Employers trick themselves into believing that confident people make competent leaders… and that confidence is better than modesty, especially in a leader. The manifestations of hubris — often masked as charisma or charm — are commonly mistaken for leadership potential. In reality, confident people are often not competent at all. Why is that? And, if that’s so, how can companies learn to distinguish between cotton-candy confidence and real competence? Continue reading
