The Fragility of Confidence

Nate Zinsser: The Confident Mind Nate Zinsser is an expert in the psychology of human performance. He has been at the forefront of applied sport psychology for over thirty years. He has been a regular consultant to the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Giants as well as a consultant for the FBI Academy, the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, and the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit. Since 1992 he has directed a cutting edge applied sport psychology program at the United States Military Academy’s Center for Enhanced Performance, personally conducting over seventeen thousand individual training sessions and seven hundred team training sessions for cadets seeking the mental edge for athletic, academic, and military performance. His most recent book is titled The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide for Unshakable Performance*. In this conversation, Nate and I explore the reality that almost every leader faces: continual challenges to our own confidence. We examine some of the misconceptions around confidence and how those misperceptions tend to limit us. Then, we discuss the most effective practices you can use to maintain — and improve — the confidence that you’ve already built. Key Points It’s a misconception that once you become confident, you’ll stay that way forever. Confidence has little to do with what happens to you and tons to do with how you think about what happens to you. For a more constructive attitude when bad things happen, use these three elements: decide that it’s temporary, limited, and non-representative. To win the battle with your own negative thinking, acknowledge the negativity, silence it, and then replace it with something better to get the last word. Protecting your confidence is an ongoing practice. You’ll never stop doing it — but the good news is that it will give you an edge if you can develop this practice. Resources Mentioned The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide for Unshakable Performance* by Nate Zinsser Interview Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes The Way to Make Sense to Others, with Tom Henschel (episode 518) How to Build Confidence, with Katy Milkman (episode 533) How to Speak Up, with Connson Locke (episode 546) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.