How can someone be more confident at work?
To help you become more confident at work, we asked CEOs and successful business owners this question for their best insights. From gaining skills and experience by doing favors to concentrating on your strong points, there are several tips that may help you grow your confidence in the workplace.
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Here are 10 ways to become more confident at work:
- Gain Skills and Experience by Doing Favors
- Pinpoint the Root of the Problem
- Turn Off Negative Thoughts
- Take More Responsibility for Your Career
- Dress to Succeed
- Invest in Your Network
- Recognize that Everyone Makes Mistakes
- Set Realistic Goals and Smash Them
- Grow Your Skill Set
- Concentrate On Your Strong Points
Gain Skills and Experience by Doing Favors
Doing favors for coworkers is a low-risk way to build skills and gain confidence at work. Confidence comes from experience, and assisting colleagues is a low-pressure way to build that experience. Peers are typically grateful for the offers of assistance and less critical of the helper than they would be if that responsibility was assigned. Voluntarily assisting coworkers gives employees incentive and opportunity to learn. Plus, offering to help builds goodwill with coworkers and can establish or strengthen working relationships, and these bonds give workers an extra jolt of confidence.
Carly Hill, Virtual Holiday Party
Pinpoint the Root of the Problem
The initial step a person should take when not feeling confident is work is to understand the root of the problem. Are they experiencing burnout? Are they not properly trained? Many people who aren’t as confident at work may be suffering from something you may have heard referred to as imposter syndrome. Confidence is something that just exudes from many successful people, while others are still caught up in the idea that they’re always playing “catch up,” and may not deserve a seat at the table or fit into the current company culture. Understand your worth and your value, and then others can begin to recognize it as well.
Ryan Rottman, OSDB Sports
Turn Off Negative Thoughts
Focus on the projects that worked and reject any movie in your mind that replays failures. Positivity breeds confidence. When negative thoughts present themselves, picture balling them into pieces of garbage and tossing them away. Replace them by ruminating on the skills you possess. You were hired for a reason. Someone on the team saw your potential. Even if that’s all you have thus far, roll that footage in your mind and build from there. Once you release negative self-talk/thoughts and focus on your attributes, you’ll gain successes, build a brand that you love and genuine confidence will follow.
Jeff Goodwin, Orgain
Take More Responsibility for Your Career
A great way for your team members to be more confident at work is to allow them more leeway to make their own decisions and develop their own strategies. In these situations, team members can take more responsibility for their current career, which can lead to feeling more connected to their roles and the company itself, in general. And in turn, this can lead to exceptionally high levels of confidence and even employee engagement, no matter where in the world each team member may be located.
Lindsay McCormick, Bite
Dress to Succeed
Think about your professional outfit and how you might improve your work appearance to meet what is expected in the office. For example, if your workplace has a “business casual” dress requirement, instead of wearing denim jeans, try a pair of casual slacks. Dressing professionally and arriving at work with a business appearance can help affect your confidence when performing your job and engaging with your peers and superiors. Similarly, avoid wearing casual clothing to key events such as conferences, board meetings, or other presentations, where formal business attire is typically expected.
Gerrid Smith, Joy Organics
Invest in Your Network
We all need and benefit greatly from the support of others. If you’re lacking in confidence at work, you should put more energy into building professional relationships with colleagues. Nobody becomes the most productive, confident and successful version of themselves on their own – they get there with plenty of support and encouragement from their peers. Especially for remote professionals, and those of us returning to the office post-pandemic, the strength of our networks will be crucial in helping us get back to our best.
Tina Hawk, GoodHire
Recognize that Everyone Makes Mistakes
Recognize that everyone makes mistakes–so don’t worry so much about making them yourself. While it’s important to be diligent and produce the best work you can, I think employees make a mistake by worrying too much about making errors or flubbing a presentation. By beating yourself up about your mistakes, you compound the issue. In my experience, others around you, including your superiors, are far less worried about minor mistakes of employees–so don’t make yourself unduly stressed when you can simply do a better job next time. A big part of the confidence game is allowing yourself to move on.
Dan Bladen, Kadence
Set Realistic Goals and Smash Them
There are a few ways that someone can become more confident at work. One way is to set realistic goals and then smash them. When people achieve their goals, they feel a sense of accomplishment that can boost confidence. Additionally, positive reinforcement from others can help build up self-confidence. Receiving compliments and positive feedback from supervisors, colleagues, and customers can help an individual feel more capable and confident in their abilities. Feeling in control can be enhanced by setting achievable goals, and by taking steps to manage any stress or anxiety that may interfere with work performance.
Jane Kallinger, Sewing From Home
Grow Your Skill Set
The first step to boosting your confidence is to accept that, no matter how confident others may appear to be, no one is perfect, we all have flaws. Our confidence grows as we play to our strengths and one way to grow in confidence is to expand our skill sets. Look for opportunities to learn new skills, most businesses are keen to encourage learning and development. As your skills grow, you will soon find that your confidence grows with it. You will make mistakes along the way but try to learn from these mistakes, don’t take them as a setback, but as a lesson learned. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and seek advice as you progress. Set yourself achievable goals to monitor your progress, and award yourself a small reward as you pass each milestone. Before you realize it, you will be the one that others look to for guidance and inspiration.
Jonathan Zacks, GoReminders
Concentrate On Your Strong Points
I believe that focusing on your strengths might help you gain confidence because it requires you to assess your success and ability. Professionals who are focused on refining their work may become too concerned with slight missteps or errors, rather than the overall success despite these minor nuances. If this is the case, one method to combat this inclination is to make a list of your qualities and abilities, followed by a list of your accomplishments. You can make it a habit to read through them every morning and whenever you need a confidence boost during the day.
Kenny Kline, BarBend
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