What does confidence really look like? Will Trepp (Rockport), Sunil Weeramantry (NSCF), and Grandmaster @GMHikaru explore how the decision-making, discipline, and independence built through chess can transform how young people - and professionals - carry themselves in the world.
From walking into a room with presence to embracing high-stakes decisions, chess teaches the habits that build real confidence.
Watch now to see how chess shapes future leaders.
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Confidence and self-confidence are extremely important. I think if you do gain that confidence, by being able to do something on your own and do it well, and I think that that helps you in all phases of life and, that cannot be underestimated. Recently, I told a parent, you know, I can see the difference in your daughter, the way she walks into a room and the way she just speaks. Right. Forget anything else? Just the way she walks into a room. So that shows an increased confidence.
You know, that's the value of this. I mean and it sounds like you with the streamer is anything that comes up in business doesn't feel so bad. A big pitch, a big presentation. Well, I was a lot more scared playing in the seventh round of the nationals knowing that if I won or tied, I was going to win the Nationals. That was much scarier than a pitch to a client. And so, you just get used to it. And so, again, if trust is viewed in that way, I think it's very beneficial.
The thing when you look at chess, especially as it relates to business, is that in chess, it's about decision making, and you're making a lot of decisions, in an individual game. And that's one thing that I don't think is really applicable to almost anything else, at least in the educational realm where one game you make a lot of decisions. You start over again, make all these decisions. And I think that really does help because it's very easy in life to be afraid of the big decisions and to take those chances.
And getting back to your point about making a pitch to clients, you know, when you make decisions, getting back to your point about making a pitch to clients, you know, when you when you make decisions, you know, over and over and over in the game of chess, let's say you play a thousand games, you know, let alone playing hundreds of thousands, like, you get used to that. It starts feeling very natural to take these chances. So, I think it is very, very beneficial just from that standpoint.
A lot. I wholly agree. I mean as an entrepreneur and a founder, I always tell people I make thousands of decisions a day and I think playing growing up and getting so many wrong and realizing that the world didn't end, you pick yourself up, you dust yourself off, and you play the next game. You know, that's extremely important. I mean, there is obviously an element of risk taking that is necessary in making decisions, and some people are risk averse, so to get them to make a decision unless they are one hundred percent sure that it'll turn out exactly the way they want.
You know, you are reluctant to make that decision. But in chess you don't have that luxury. You have to make that decision, and you'll go with your intuition, and you'll go with your judgment. But, you know, sometimes it's going to be wrong. A lot. Alright. Next time, it'll be better.