Confidence Drives Success

Near the beginning of her new book, Confidence: How Winning Streaks & Losing Streaks Begin & End, HBS professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter captures the essence of the social enterprise interests of many HBS students: "My students these days are not just interested in business per se; they might wind up being consultants by day and nonprofit volunteers by night, or working to develop better leadership for public schools, or heading organizations to improve health care or make a dent in global poverty." In Confidence (published by Crown Business), her insights are not geared specifically to business or nonprofit leaders, but rather to those who aim to have successful, enriching careers that encompass a range of interests and have impact across many sectors.

Kanter explains that confidence is a fundamental attribute to success and can be enhanced through routines that activate talent. Based on 300 original interviews, large-scale surveys, and research conducted around the world, she uses examples—ranging from the University of Connecticut women's basketball team, to Nelson Mandela, to companies such as Gillette and Continental Airlines—to assert that there are recognizable cycles and trends that precipitate downward spirals of negativity and losing, and these can be averted by implementing this philosophy of confidence. These stories are intended to reveal universal truths about confidence and leadership.

In October, under the auspices of the Social Enterprise Initiative, Professor Kanter presented a one-day executive education seminar, Confidence: How Leaders Create Winning Streaks (and Avoid Losing Streaks), bringing together nearly 300 leaders of nonprofit, government, and public education organizations. Kanter offered participants advice on how to create a culture of success within their organizations and a greater awareness of the role confidence plays in helping them to reach their missions.