The Power of Conviction
Creating a new security category with new people quickly and with excellence is not easy. I have stumbled upon the importance of having conviction to be successful as I have begun to scale my organization in my current role. I was preparing for our first all-hands and leveraging our Four Foundations of FIERCE, specifically empathy when I really dug into the power of conviction in organizational growth, development, and success.
It’s been proven that the brain perceives uncertainty as a threat, which sparks the release of cortisol, a stress hormone that disrupts memory, depresses the immune system, and increases the risk of high blood pressure and depression. These are things no leader wants her team to endure. Start-up life in a new category with new people joining the team every day is not a recipe for certainty. So, when I put myself in our team’s shoes, I know one of the top things they need from our leadership team is certainty.
People’s brains can relax, so to speak, letting them concentrate on what needs to be done when leadership has conviction. When people feel more secure in the future, they’re happier and produce higher-quality work. Happy and productive is a winning combo that all start-ups need. I don’t care what any tech bro or VC tells you. Market success is and will always be, all about the people. People drive innovation, above-average execution, and everything else that matters to your customers.
Finally, conviction allows us to lead by example and inspire others to do the same. When we are convicted about something, we are much more likely to take action and see it through, even when it’s tough. This tenacity is infectious and can rally others around us who might otherwise remain passive bystanders.
What are the core traits of Conviction in leadership:
Strength – the leader must stay the course when the going gets tough. They have to weather the doubts on behalf of the team and keep going forward. Questions to help determine if the leader has real strength or if it’s faux include: does the leader demonstrate in her actions that they will stand up for what they believe in? Does she do it with authenticity? Does she really demonstrate strength or is it just control and harsh behavior as a means to an end?
Trust their guts. – the leader recognizes and embraces the power of her gut. I think women have the best gut instincts. We need to trust and take action on what our gut is telling us. Too often, I see female leaders do the exact opposite of what their gut is telling them, and it is always a mistake. It may not be a mistake that instant but it sure is in the long run.
Positivity – the leader is relentlessly positive. Conviction allows the leader to focus on the exact outcome needed with clarity and that allows the leader to communicate that vision to everyone with unique and consistent positivity. This trait is especially important when the going gets tough. I see people look at me when they have doubts. They need my positive leadership to refocus on the core mission versus worrying about the future and wasting precious time.
Confident – confidence is contagious, and people are drawn to confident leaders. Confidence is grounded in a passion for the mission and belief in yourself, your team, and your entire ecosystem. Confident leaders remain humble because if they don’t, they will cross into arrogance quickly. Are you willing to do absolutely anything you ask your team to do? If so, good you remain humble. Stay humble forever.
Loyal – a leader with conviction will always take a bullet for their team. The buck stops with her. I feel strongly about this one. If you are a leader, trusted with someone’s career you take that responsibility seriously and exist to ensure each individual on your team has 100% conviction that you have their back. You have their back with everyone, anytime and always. They know you are not afraid to step in front of the bullet. Their conviction in you is a superpower that very few leaders have but the ones who do, change the world.
Great leaders possess conviction. Conviction is the unwavering belief in one’s ideas, values, and vision that enables leaders to inspire and motivate others to follow them.
Nelson Mandela said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”