Feel More Confident at Work

Lacking confidence at work is a common issue. You may feel inexperienced, be new to a company, or have doubts about your ability to succeed. It’s important to overcome your fears and regain your confidence to help you advance in your career. A healthy confidence level will make push you to take on challenging, but manageable projects, reach new goals, and get outside of your comfort zone.

Steps

Combating Self-Doubt

1. Have a positive attitude. Try to focus on your skills and talents as much as possible. Don't dwell on what you perceive are your weaknesses. Focus on providing solutions to problems and not on the problems themselves.
   • Choose to be happy. This is not easy, but important to find the good in any situation.
   • Remove negativity. This means refraining from behaviors cause you unhappiness or from interactions with people who make you unhappy.
   • Never underestimate the power of a smile. A smile make you more approachable and helps you feel better. People can see you are a friendly and affable person when you greet them with a smile on your face and in your voice.
2. Accept your flaws. Everyone has imperfections, and can feel like a failure at times. Acceptance therapy has shown that recognizing your issues can reduce the distress caused by them.
   • Think about what is about yourself that bothers you. Then acknowledge that these are things that make you special and more relatable to others. It is easy to find common ground with others who share your insecurities.
3. Review your accomplishments. It is easy to let fear and panic set in when you have self-doubt. A way to not let those negative feelings take over is by reminding yourself of your successes.
   • Make a list of all of your successes. They can be big or small, ranging from things like catching the earlier train to landing a new client to negotiating a promotion. If needed, read your list aloud to yourself.

Boosting Your Self-Confidence

1. Gain more skills and knowledge related to your field. You’ll feel more confident as you learn more.
   • Go to talk given by experts in your field. You’ll broaden your horizons and get an opportunity to hear about cutting-edge information.
   • Attend industry meet-ups. Not only will you get to know new people, you may also of a new company or a service.
   • Take a class online or at your local college. Familiar with C++, but not Python? Enrolling in a class is a great way to brush up or expand your skills.
2. Work on your weaknesses. Don’t obsess about them, but making an action plan to overcome them can help you feel more empowered.
   • For example, you may feel very comfortable in 1:1 meetings, but the idea of presenting at the annual board meeting makes you quake in your boots. Taking a public speaking course could help you to get over your fears.
3. Capitalize on your strengths. You will feel more self-assured and engaged if you use your strong suits to help you lead. Continue to refine those strengths.
   • Do you currently work in the Accounting department and enjoy web design in your spare time? Maybe your company’s website needs an overhaul. Offer to give the site a facelift so you can showcase your hidden talents.
4. Note what other daily habits your coworkers who you perceive to be self-confident use. You may be able to adopt a few for your own benefit. Examples of good habits include:
   • Arriving on time or 5 minutes early to meetings
   • Being prepared for questions or special requests
   • Lending a helping hand to others
   • Volunteering to take on extra projects
5. Monitor your achievements. When you do something well or achieve something, don't brush it off. Give yourself praise no matter the size of the success.
   • Making a to-do list and then crossing off each task when completed. This will help you to become more aware.
   • Create a “kudos file.” In this file, you can keep note about any important successful projects, congratulatory emails, praise and recognition from bosses or colleagues, and thank you letters.

Communicating with Your Coworkers

1. Value criticism. Don’t be embarrassed if you receive negative feedback. Remember that giving constructive feedback is a sign that the person is invested in you.
   • Constructive feedback can sound something like, “I thought your presentation went well. However, I wanted to see more specific numbers regarding oil price predictions. Could you make sure to include those in the future?”
2. Express what you want. Never be afraid to ask to for something you want. It is important to do it in a way that is not rude or impertinent. However, it is possible you will hear a yes. If you don’t ask, you will definitely not receive what you want.
   • For example, you may want to adjust your work hours to attend a class to expand your skills. You may choose to phrase your request as, “Would it be possible to for me to take an evening course to learn SQL? I would need to leave work at 6PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I am happy to stay later the other nights.”
3. Say yes to new challenges. A part of growing your confidence is acting like you are confident. You do not need to be arrogant or constantly brag. However, you should believe that you are able to leverage your abilities to successfully complete new tasks.
   • Your response to a request may sound something like, “Great! I can try to make those design changes for you. My Javascript skills are not strong, but I know I can use my PHP skills to figure out how to get the task done.”

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Sources and Citations

See also

• Calculate Your Worth As an Employee
• Be Popular at Your Office Job
• Stay Productive at Work Without Missing Sports Events
• Communicate Clearly Within the Workplace
• Turn Your Office Cubicle Into Your Personal Sanctuary
• Write a Status Report
• Work Smart, Not Hard
• Improve Your Concentration
• Look Busy at Work Without Really Working
• Stay Awake at Work

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