The Power of Private Encouragement: Jason Osborn on Building Team Confidence

In a recent LinkedIn post, Jason Osborn discusses the critical, yet often overlooked, role of private encouragement in developing team members and fostering leadership. Osborn argues that many leaders focus too heavily on corrective feedback, neglecting the consistent, behind-the-scenes affirmation that truly builds confidence and ownership within a team.

Osborn highlights a common leadership pitfall: the tendency to address issues only when they arise. “Most leaders give feedback when something goes wrong. They’re quick to correct. Slow to develop,” he writes. This reactive approach, according to Osborn, can stifle initiative and lead to a team that operates with minimal effort, perpetually awaiting direction.

The Disconnect Between Private Development and Public Performance

A central theme in Osborn’s post is the profound impact of private interactions on public behavior and performance. He posits that the moments leaders choose to build up their team members in private are the true architects of their public success. “What happens behind closed doors shapes everything that happens in public,” Osborn states, emphasizing that these formative conversations often occur outside formal review processes.

“The one-on-one where you tell someone they’re better than they think they are. The quiet conversation where you point out a strength they can’t see in themselves yet. The moment you say ‘I think you’re ready for this’ before they feel ready.”

These seemingly small gestures, Osborn contends, are far more influential than grand public pronouncements or formal performance evaluations. They shape an individual’s demeanor, their willingness to speak up, and their overall confidence in high-stakes situations. “In how someone carries themselves in a room full of people. In whether they speak up or stay quiet when it matters. In the confidence they bring to a high-stakes conversation,” he elaborates.

Accumulative Impact of Private Belief

Osborn stresses that development is not a singular event but an accumulation of private moments. “People become what they’re consistently told they’re capable of. Not in grand speeches. In private moments that accumulate over time,” he writes. This consistent reinforcement, even in the absence of an audience, is what cultivates genuine self-belief and empowers individuals to take ownership.

He further observes that leaders often underestimate the transformative power of a single, genuine conversation. “One moment of genuine belief from the right person at the right time changes everything,” Osborn notes. The impact, he clarifies, stems not from perfect articulation but from authenticity and sincerity.

Cultivating Confidence in the Unseen

The core message of Osborn’s post is a call to action for leaders to shift their focus towards proactive, private development. He advocates for building individuals up when no one is watching, asserting that the resulting confidence and capability will inevitably manifest in publicly visible results. “Build people up when nobody’s watching. The results show up where everyone can see,” Osborn concludes.

Osborn concludes by prompting leaders to consider their own teams: “Who on your team needs to hear that you believe in them?” This rhetorical question serves as a reminder of the profound, yet often untapped, potential within everyday leadership interactions.