Are bold, noisy, supremelyself-confident people better than everyone else?
Finally, this quintessentially North American belief is starting its downward topple. First there was author Susan Cain’s Quiet, an intelligent and compellingly argued ode to the power of introverts. Now the Harvard Business Review has published a blog arguing that less confident people are more successful. Yes, less confident people!
Self-confidence is only helpful when it’s low, blogger Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic says. Why?
1. Lower self-confidence means you’ll pay attention to negative feedback and be self-critical.
Pessimism plus ambition equals outstanding performance, Chamorro-Premuzic says.
2. Lower self-confidence motivates you to work harder and prepare more.
3. Lower self-confidence reduces your chances of appearing or being deluded.
Chamorro-Premuzic’s full blog here.