Under pressure: How to be a confident leader, originally published on Medium 01 July 2016

This was my article that I originally poseted on my medium account here: https://medium.com/@SafarazAli/under-pressure-how-to-be-a-confident-leader-88f36be5d969#.49dw4qarz and I am reposting on this platform to get additional reach. The full post is as below:

Amongst all the political chaos of the past week or so, Jeremy Corbyn has come under mounting pressure to resign as Leader of the Labour Party. Despite mass resignations amongst the Shadow Cabinet and a vote of no confidence from the vast majority of his Labour MPs, Corbyn says:
"I was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60% of Labour members and supporters, and I will not betray them by resigning."

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Boris Johnson unexpectedly announced he would not be running for Tory leadership, after Michael Gove decided he’d prefer to go it alone and run for leadership instead of backing Johnson’s campaign.

It appears Johnson doesn’t have the confidence to take on Gove; he buckled under the pressure and decided to take a step back. Both Corbyn’s and Johnson’s situations have got me thinking about how we can remain confident as business leaders, no matter what pressures we face.

Do you buckle under pressure?
The majority of people do, but there are ways to train yourself to cope with, and even thrive on, pressure. Pressure is inevitable, and how you react to it can be your make or break as a leader. So what can you do to become one of those leaders who appear cool, calm and collected in the face of pressure?

Put pressure on yourself
This seems like strange advice but the best leaders put pressure on themselves to always improve. Personal pressure to be a better leader can help to focus and motivate you, far more than the pressure others may put on you can.
But give yourself time to breathe
Whilst you should put pressure on yourself to be constantly improving, make sure you allow yourself free time to step away from your leadership role. If you’re constantly putting pressure on yourself, you’ll end up making bad decisions. A break can help you recharge and think creatively.

Be comfortable in yourself
Know what your strengths and weaknesses are, your values, and what you would or wouldn’t compromise on. If you have conviction in what you believe in, you’re less likely to be swayed by the pressure of others.

Delegate to the right people
If you’re feeling unnecessary pressure, it’s likely that you have taken on too much. Delegating tasks to the right people in your organisation is a sure-fire way of relieving some pressure, and will free up your time to do what you should be doing – leading. Leaders who feel the most pressure are those who feel they must do everything themselves.
How do you deal with pressure? I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts in the comments below or you can tweet @SafarazAli.
Kind regards,
Safaraz