Looking for inspiration? This excerpt is just the tip of the iceberg. Click on the link to read the whole article. Kanter also gives a definition of confidence: the expectation of success.

Link: Leader to Leader:
How Leaders Gain (and Lose) Confidence: An Interview with Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Initiative leads to innovation. It leads to new ideas and it is a necessity for all organizations today to keep innovating, but it is also a cornerstone of confidence. Because it is that feeling of efficacy on the part of people and that belief on the part of investors that show this as an organization that will be able to solve problems. People need to be able to feel that they are supported in being active, in making contributions. Setting up an environment in which people can even take small steps where they feel that their small steps make a difference is critical to creating a highly productive and confident system. People can’t only be waiting for the big move, the bold strokes that leaders make at the top. That doesn’t build confidence in the whole system or in the people themselves in the system. What builds confidence is that everyone has something to contribute, however small, however big, that can make a difference to outcomes.