CONFIDENCE IS A KEY

Confidence is a key and powerful quality that impacts both our personal and professional lives.

While there are many definitions, a common aspect is that confidence is a belief in oneself, the conviction that you have the ability to meet life’s challenges and to succeed and act accordingly. The add on is that being confident requires a realistic assessment of our capabilities.

Confidence was named by Forbes to be one of the top three characteristics that employers are looking for in prospective employees. So working on confidence is a valuable career investment.

For those with the negative self-talk creeping in saying ‘I’m not confident’ – the good news is that confidence can be developed. It requires the willingness to build your capabilities and hone your skills, and practice, practice, practice. And get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Here are some practical tips to grow your confidence with a focus on the workplace setting.

Take small steps and set small achievable goals

Take small risks; identify the ‘thing’ you want to be confident in or about and focus on that (e.g. delivering a presentation; providing input in meetings, meeting people). As you build your confidence in one area, it will boost your confidence to conquer other challenges.

Take action and do

Take and make opportunities, e.g. to deliver a presentation – until you tackle the task, it’s difficult to grow your confidence.

Prepare thoroughly

Confidence grows with capability – whether it’s a presentation, or other task, preparation helps reduce uncertainty and boosts your confidence in your abilities. Practice, practice, practice so you are as ready as possible – this is in your control.

Program your confidence

As you are building your confidence – act confident. The contexts in which you want to be confident are not necessarily marathons – e.g. for the duration of the meeting (e.g. 1 hour) demonstrate the confidence type behaviours including your body language and posture - it will trick your brain into feeling more self-assured (and of course being prepared is a game changer).

Practice consistency

The more you work on it, the more confident you will become, even if progress seems slow at times. Keep a list of your achievements and compliments to revisit when self-doubt begins to intrude.

Engage in positive self-talk

Change your own narrative from e.g. I can’t do this to I’ll give it my best.

Build your cheer squad

Surround yourself with people who are uplifting and encourage your growth and provide constructive feedback; their belief will boost your self-belief. Avoid those who sap your positive energy and feed your insecurities.

The path to mastery of any skill is not always smooth so above all, treat yourself with kindness and patience, as things don’t always go to plan. Confidence is not about being perfect; it’s about having the self-belief to focus on your strengths to overcome obstacles and persevere to achieve your goals.

‍