Confidence at work can be elusive and it can leave you doubting your abilities. We’ve found that many employees coming back to work in London post-pandemic have experienced a dip in their working confidence. As such, we’ve been chatting to those who’ve successfully built their confidence so that you can learn to build, grow and develop your own. Often, being successful at work is largely about confidence, so it’s an important skill to master.
1. Fake it till you make it!
Robert describes himself as naturally shy and introverted. He explained, “When I’m not feeling very confident, I literally act that I am. I stand tall and put my shoulders back. I speak with a solid voice. I force myself to make eye contact. In my experience, just the way I stand and act starts to make me feel more confident too. It’s an excellent positive feedback loop.”
2. Draw on moral support
Ashley told us, “I always feel more confident if I know I’ve got someone alongside me who knows and gets it. I’m honest with my boss if I’m feeling nervous and she encourages me. But if I’ve got to do a presentation or something, I make sure that I have at least one friendly face in the audience to spur me on.”
3. You’ve done it before
Scott explained, “I find it’s a really useful tip to remember that I’ve done harder things before. If I'm nervous about a phone call with a tricky client, for example, I bring to mind the previous times when I managed a similar call really well. It reminds me that I can do it. I also remember that I’ll feel better afterwards, so should stop procrastinating!”
4. Be yourself
“I think it’s easy to lack confidence at work because it’s so easy to compare yourself with others,” says Marcus. “You might be surrounded by people who are at the top of their game and exude confidence on a different level, and it can be hard but remember that you are valued for what you bring. Comparing yourself with others never ends well. Learn from their confidence, but don’t use it as a stick to beat yourself with.”
5. Learn and get confident
“When I don’t feel confident, it’s because I feel out of my depth,” says Sunil. “It helps to make sure I’ve brushed up on the skills I need and practiced whatever I need to do. I will put myself forward for extra training in an area where I don’t feel confident so that I do feel more confident.”
6. Change your mindset
Alison says, “Your mindset is so important. If you read one book about mindset, make it Carol Dweck’s. It’s really powerful because you learn the use of a tiny word – yet. So if I don’t feel confident, I just remind myself that I can’t do this thing yet. That opens up the opportunity to get better at it, rather than close the door to hide away. I now find that I can challenge my comfort zone more easily and push beyond what I thought I could do. ”
All of the above techniques are great for building your confidence. Remember too that it’s important to identify when your confidence is being harmed by those around you. If you are being bullied at work, for example, this can negatively impact your confidence. In this case, the best confidence boost is to get a new job!
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