Be Confident and Courageous!

“You just have to be yourself and go full with confidence and be courageous.” 

—Gabby Douglas

The Black Individual Gold Medal winners of
U.S. Olympic Women Gymnastics 

Pictured:

1) Dominique Dawes

2) Gabriella Douglas

3) Simone Biles

Gabby Douglas followed in the trailblazing path of Dominique Dawes and made history at the 2012 Summer Olympics by winning gold medals in gymnastics. In 2016, she and her team mate Simone Biles along with the other “Final Five” took the Summer Olympics by storm by winning gold in the team event. For more details, see here.

Notable Mention:

Dianne Durham (June 17, 1968-February 4, 2021), was a standout gymnast who in 1983 became the first African American to win the U.S. national championship. She went on to compete in the 1984 Olympics. Read more here.

Courage...Ruth Gordo

“Courage is like a muscle. We strengthen it by use.”

—Ruth Gordo

Affirming Self... Priyanka Chopra

“I taught myself confidence. When I’d walk into a room and feel scared to death, I’d tell myself, ‘I’m not afraid of anybody.’ And people believed me. You’ve got to teach yourself to take over the world.”

—Priyanka Chopra, Actress and Author 

https://www.unfinishedbypriyanka.com

Doing What’s Right...Ashley Lorenzana

“Never do anything that you can’t admit doing, because if you are that ashamed of whatever it is, it’s probably wrong.”

—Ashly Lorenzana

#LeadershipTuesdays: You Have What ItTakes...Tyra Banks

“You have what it takes to be a victorious, independent, fearless woman.” 

—Tyra Banks

Joshua Abner

Every other Tuesday, womenatliberty.com provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. Today a Forbes article on building self-confidence in your team is featured. I heard this analogy some time ago: the seed has the potential within itself to become a beautiful flower; it just needs to be planted, cultivated and watered. What would the world be if every leader or coach tried their best to build self-confidence in their teams by first teaching them that they have within themselves the potential to excel and then secondly, leading them by the example, “Be. Do. Say.”?

Some believe that the way to build a great team or person is by tearing individuals down and building them to the leader’s or organization’s fashion. That’s passé or old school. When you know better, you should do better. Part of being a leader is your ability to ‘lead by example’ and then cultivate leaders around you. You should not desire to build clones, but people who believe in themselves and their teammates.

Our organizations and schools are better off when they start with the notion that this person I’m leading or coaching has something to offer and my job is to not only get them to do the job at hand but to also help them prepare for new opportunities by building self-confidence in them. Maybe they need more training or maybe I need to give them an assignment and spend some time coaching them on preparation and presentation. That’s part of being a leader.

If you desire to be a great leader and one who knows how to build self-confidence in their team members, check out today’s resource, “How Great Leaders Bring Out Others’ Self-Confidence”, on the @LeadershipTues Twitter timeline. For more information on #LeadershipTuesdays, check us out on Twitter: @LeadershipTues. Happy Women’s History Month!!

Confidence Is Everything...Ciara

“Confidence is everything. Confidence is what makes that simple white tee and jeans look good.” 

—Ciara Princess Harris Wilson 

(August 24, 2016 - Source: Ari Perilstein/
Getty Images North America)