I have often told the story of Alexander the Great who eased his commanders’ fears and inspired his army by telling them they were guaranteed to win because they had one thing the enemy lacked. When his followers asked them about the one thing that would guarantee victory, Alexander the Great answered, “We have me.”

 

Now, to be clear, when I tell that story I make sure to mention I have no way of knowing if this is just legend, let alone the exact words used by Alexander the Great. However, the history books confirm his father was a warrior-king and Alexander was private schooled by Aristotle. Alexander was a young fellow at the time he became ruler. Think about people today who become famous at a young age. If we compare Alexander the Great to the rock stars of today, he would be at least a stage full of them. If compared to the business leaders of today, he would be at least the Chairman of the Board of at least a few upstart car makers, oil producers, and technology disruptors.

 

So, some 2300 years ago we had this young Alexander fellow with a huge amount of fame and absolute power. Perhaps, it could have gone to his head just a little bit. Perhaps, he did say things like “We’re gonna win because we got me”.

 

On a much lesser scale, of course, I have made similar claims. I have seen myself as the best person to do the job at hand.

 

Isn’t that a big piece of the definition of entrepreneur?

 

Entrepreneurs and leaders need to be the difference makers…isn’t that right?

 

A leader must be confident about his ability to succeed…right?

 

A leader must be confident about her ability to succeed…right?

 

None of us wants to follow an unconfident leader.

 

None of us wants to be an unconfident leader.

 

Some of us feel confidence is near or at the top of the list of leadership attributes.

 

To be crystal clear: I think self-confidence is very, very close to the top of that list.