“Is your team confident?” | Patrick Freudiger

In the previous blog article (link), we highlighted the crucial difference between the toxic positivity of a “feel-good manager” and the genuine confidence of an effective leader. You may remember Mira, who at her core has the unwavering conviction that her team can achieve great things together. Mira has now been with me in coaching for some time. After strengthening her own confidence, we are currently working intensively on how she can ignite this power in her employees as well. The challenge is very present right now, as Mira recently took over an additional team in which a strong culture of negativity prevails. Cynicism and resignation dominate daily collaboration, and most team members have lost faith in their own effectiveness. How can Mira break through this negative dynamic and realign the team toward a shared, positive goal? How can she initiate a movement that inspires her employees to once again commit to a common purpose? From problem to movement in four steps In our coaching, we developed a concrete path for this, based on key questions. You too can use these steps to sow genuine confidence in your team:

1. Creating a Clear Vision

Everything begins with a goal worth pursuing. Your vision must not only show a desirable future for the company but also for each individual team member.

What vision do you have for your team?
What inspiring future are you striving for?
And what desirable future do the members of your team see for themselves?

2. Building a Movement

A movement arises from passion. It needs an emotional energy that drives people. Often, it is precisely dissatisfaction with the status quo that provides the strongest engine for change. Remember, confidence strives to repair what is broken.

What awakens your deepest passion?
What touches your heart?
What fills you with such conviction that you fully commit to it?
Which current condition is no longer acceptable to you?
What offends your innermost values?

3. Creating Allies

A movement needs a “we.” A sense of belonging arises through shared values on the rational level and a shared identity on the emotional level.

Which shared values (rational) and which desired identity (emotional) do you share as a team?

4. Shaping the Right Messages

When you have the answers to these questions, you can craft powerful messages. These messages are your tool to continually appeal to the emotions of your team and spark their commitment. Remember that emotions like dissatisfaction and frustration with the status quo can also be a driving force to trigger change.

Which statements foster optimism and ambition in your team?
Which expressions create constructive dissatisfaction with the status quo?
Which messages frame challenges that spur your team to peak performance?
Which communications reflect your team’s uniqueness and reinforce your belief in their abilities?

Remember that every successful movement begins with one person who passionately stands for a cause. If you are not convinced yourself and lack passion, it will be difficult to convince others.

Reflection Questions on Confidence

Take a moment to deepen your own insights with these questions and lay the foundation for your personal growth:

When was the last time you noticed yourself trying to sugarcoat a situation with superficial positivity instead of acknowledging reality?
When it comes to addressing challenges, are you more of a “Mira,” who names problems, or a “Stefan,” who quickly appeases?
Where in your current leadership situation do you see the greatest need to move forward with genuine confidence rather than superficial optimism?
Which “damaged” issue in your area of responsibility stirs in you the strongest passion to repair it and drive change?
Which of your personal convictions is so strong that you could use it as a starting point for an inspiring “movement” in your team?
How do you ensure that your team learns from setbacks and emerges stronger, instead of ignoring them or just wrapping them in positivity?
What is one concrete measure you could take to show your employees that you believe in their strength and potential, even when major challenges lie ahead?

If you want to build a culture of genuine confidence not only for yourself but also for your team, then let’s talk.

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