How To Boost Your Confidence in The Workplace With Simple Steps
There are personal qualities that are not acquired, but are born and exist with the existence of a person in this life. On the other hand, there are some other qualities that are acquired and learned. And self-confidence is among the qualities that can be acquired and learned.
Feeling anxious is normal in the workplace. Which is related to the fear of not being able to perform tasks successfully, the fence of the relationship with the superiors, the competition of colleagues, and the accumulation of projects. This may sometimes limit the feeling of self-confidence.
Where most people, at one time or another, suffer from low confidence is in the workplace. This can have a negative impact on your decision-making and how you feel about your job.
So whether you feel this burden yourself, or you are responsible for someone who suffers from it, it is good to know how you can change that feeling. Let’s take a look at ways you can boost your confidence at work and reap the rewards.
The importance of trust
Many things can cause low confidence at work, some of which are perfectionism, bad experiences, fears of failure, and stress. The thing that unites them all is the feeling that you are not good enough, and it can have a devastating effect on your performance.
Research has shown that when someone is confident and optimistic about their work, they perform better than anyone who recognizes failure before it happens, regardless of their skill level. Basically, confidence is just as important as productivity and experience, if not more so.
Also, self-belief in your work is associated with higher levels of well-being and resilience, which further improves your chances of job-related success and satisfaction. Therefore, it makes sense to work on your self-confidence, if it is suffering.
1. Challenging negativity bias with feedback boards
One aspect of low confidence is negative bias. This is a psychological phenomenon that causes you to care more about negative experiences and information than positive ones. It can also make you dwell on that negativity long after the event.
This can happen at work when you receive feedback from your boss or colleagues. For example, you might get a lot of praise for your work, but if you hear one criticism, that’s the one you can focus on.
An excellent way to combat negativity bias is to challenge them head-on by creating a feedback board. In essence, this is a toolkit for the praise and positive feedback you receive, so that when your work is criticized, or if you feel insecure about yourself, you can look at it as a reminder of your competence.
You can use almost any medium to create a notepad, but the best option is an app called Padlet. It’s incredibly easy to use and available on all devices, so you have access to it at all times. You can even personalize it by adding photos and examples of your work that you are most proud of.
2. Expand your knowledge
When you start a new job, you probably know much less than your colleagues, and you naturally feel less confident. This is normal, but as you gain experience and understanding, this confidence increases.
Having a good level of knowledge about your business means that you are more prepared to make decisions and more able to carry out tasks. Learning is an ongoing requirement for most jobs, and if you’re feeling insecure, it may be time to improve your skills.
You can see what courses and learning opportunities your workplace offers, for a more direct approach. If it doesn’t have what you need, here are some great online learning platforms:
- LinkedIn Learning for courses created by professionals.
- Headway app for short-form book summaries on educational topics.
- Youtube for video lessons.
- Future Learn for industry specific courses.
- And plenty of self-study apps to learn new skills.
When you have a better foundation in areas where you’re not sure, you’ll remove any second guesswork that comes with it. Just like you wouldn’t do a presentation without knowing all the facts, identifying the places that need improvement, and doing something about it.
3. Find out your career goals
With low confidence, it’s tempting to compare yourself to others and try to emulate their ways. However, there is a reason why this approach can be difficult to keep up, and that is because everyone has different starting points and motivations that motivated them to get here.
An important step to improving your self-belief is discovering your goals and facilitating your accomplishments. By defining and achieving your business goals, you can take control of your current situation and chart your own unique path.
There are a plethora of goal tracking apps out there that allow you to define and achieve your next steps. Keeping a record of your goals will improve your focus and give you a confidence boost when you see your progress.
To get started, some questions you might ask yourself are:
- Is this job where I want to be right now?
- Are all my skills being used?
- What are my aspirations?
- What do I enjoy most?
4. Highlight your strength
As humans, we are notoriously bad at recognizing our strengths and acknowledging our potential. It is often exaggerated during job interviews, where you have to show your worth above your competitors.
However, just as knowing your assets is essential to interview success, it is also essential in the workplace. Think about it — When was the last time you told yourself you were great at something? Everyone has something they are good at, and being aware of it will boost your confidence.
You can do this by creating a private skill portfolio, which only you can view and add to regularly. Google Docs and Microsoft Word both have some excellent templates to get you started.
Alternatively, you can use the notes board we explored earlier, to regularly draw areas in which you excel, and store them in a separate board. Remind yourself of these strengths daily, and over time your faith in yourself will grow.
You deserve to feel confident
Using the suggestions discussed in this article, you’ll be well on your way to boosting your confidence at work. Find ways to maximize your confidence throughout your daily routine, and challenge any negative thinking that is detrimental to your progress.
Work makes up a huge part of your life, so spending this time filled with self-doubt and low self-confidence is unfair to you. Increasing your confidence at work will free up space for you to enjoy your work, and may lead to better performance all around.