How Self-doubt Can Improve Collaborationship
No matter what we have achieved in life or how much power or money we have, most of us have moments when we feel we’re not good enough. Although this sense of inadequacy can be uncomfortable and even painful at times, it is normal to experiencing self-doubt from time to time. It may actually play a very important role when building collaborationship.
Collaborationship, as you may remember from previous posts, is what I call the process in which a group of people build synergies to maximize their chances of reaching a shared goal or objective.
A key to building collaborationship is leader rotation. This is the process when a group follows different individuals depending on what they want to achieve at a given point in time. Put differently, it’s all about following the right person at the right time.
The importance of self-doubt
In today’s individualistically focused society, self-doubt is considered a nuisance. People are advised to work on their self-confidence in order to become better leaders or to be respected. However, from a natural followership perspective, self-doubt appears to play a vital role in the process of leader rotation.
Imagine a group where everyone is brimming with confidence, believing they are best suited to lead the others no matter what challenges they face as a group. In such environments, leader rotation will hardly work. Not only are conflicts likely to flourish, but if everyone thinks they’re best suited to lead you, how do we determine who to follow?
This is where I believe self-doubt comes into play. People are less likely to take initiative if they doubt their abilities. Instead, they tend to either reach out to others for guidance and support, or they will wait for someone else to take charge. Because people generally feel confident in some areas and not others, self-doubt can help an individual identify when to step forward and when to step back while collaborating with others.
So, rather than seeing self-doubt as a personal nuisance, I believe we should explore it further, to better understand its role in natural leader- and followership.
Please note: In this article, I’m discussing self-doubt as most of us experience it. There are, however, those who suffer from chronic self-doubt, such as constantly feeling insecure. This kind of self-doubt is not what I’m referring to in this article. If you experience a persistent state of uncertainty, you may benefit from seeking professional help.
Thanks for reading Natural Followership Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
Thanks for reading Natural Followership Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
