Everyone knows that competence is crucial to workplace success, professional achievement and personal satisfaction. Whether you’re starting in a new role or facing challenges in your current one, everyone has moments where they might question their abilities. But without confidence, competence will only take you so far, and this can have a negative impact on decision-making, and how you feel about your job.
Building confidence does not require a complete personality overhaul. Instead, you can take smaller steps to become more self-assured and boost your confidence. If you show confidence in your everyday work, you’re more likely to be recognised by your superior, which means higher chances for a promotion or increased responsibilities. Now, let's look at ways you can boost your confidence at work, and reap the rewards.
Focus On Your Strengths
Everybody has strengths in the workplace. Whether it is project management, writing, or delivering a pitch, focus on what your strengths are. Remember that you worked hard to become great at those things in the first place. Succeeding at the things you are good at will give you the confidence to attempt other tasks that you haven’t had much experience in or that require skills you aren’t comfortable using. In fact, you can consider ways in which you can develop in these areas to help build your confidence in completing them. Also, if a colleague is struggling with a certain task that you’re proficient at, offer to lend a hand because teaching someone a skill can also help to build your confidence.
Ask Questions
Not knowing everything—whether that’s because you’re new on the job or have incomplete information—can make you feel insecure and lead to a lack of confidence. But remember that no matter what stage you’re at in your career, you’re never going to have all the answers. So be curious and don’t be shy about asking questions, especially when you’re feeling uncertain or insecure. Instead, arm yourself with the information you need to do your job well by asking for it.
Look The Part
It turns out that dressing well, having a good posture, being friendly, and making eye contact with people will all give the impression that you’re confident and in control. And when the rest of the world thinks you’re self-assured, you’ll start believing it too. In this case, when you adopt the saying `fake it ‘til you make it', it will help you take more risks and overcome any fear of failure.
Create Your Own Environment
Instead of moving on when a workplace doesn’t meet your needs, reshape it through your actions. Work with your team in a way that feels true and honest, whilst sharing your competencies with complete confidence. In doing so, you will brand yourself within your organisation and begin to attract people with similar values to your team. As your team expands to include more people with your mindset, your environment will evolve to one where you want to work.
Get out of your comfort zone
Volunteer for a project that will help you build new skills, or apply for some training that feels like a stretch, but matches your interests. Learning is an ongoing requirement of most jobs, and if you're not feeling confident, it might be time to upskill. At Aurora Talent, we offer our employees the opportunity for ongoing training and development so that they can expand their knowledge and be more equipped as an individual.
Celebrate Your Accomplishments
If you’ve received an amazing performance review or hit that target you’ve been stressing over, celebrate—you deserve it! Acknowledging those successes and rewarding yourself will remind you how great you really are—and there’s no greater confidence boost than a job well done. At Aurora Talent, all of our employees are recognised for their hard work and we always ensure that they celebrate their wins.