Confidence is one of the most important qualities for a leader. It’s what motivates people to follow you and makes them want to work hard for you. If you lack confidence, it shows in everything from your body language and tone of voice to the way you handle conflict and deal with mistakes. But it doesn’t have to be that way. By following these simple steps, you can build up your self-esteem—and become more confident at work.
Believe in yourself.
Believing in yourself is the first step to being confident, and it’s also the first step to success. If you believe in yourself and your abilities, then others are more likely to believe in them as well.
Inc.com offers 7 ways to help you begin to believe in yourself which include:
- Be realistic about your goals.
- Surround yourself with positivity.
- Acknowledge accomplishments and passions.
- Share what you have to offer.
- Reach for the stars.
- Don’t be afraid to speak up.
- And take care of yourself–you’re important.
Stand up straight and maintain eye contact.
Maintaining a good posture can help you feel more confident at work, and it’s important not to slump or look down at your feet when you talk to people.
Another thing worth considering is how much eye contact you give people during conversations; too little or too much can make others feel uncomfortable around you. Try and find the perfect balance between keeping eye contact and looking naturally around the space.
Take every opportunity you can to teach yourself a new skill.
Learning new skills is beneficial to your career and your overall confidence. Learning a new skill can help you improve in your current position, or it can help you move into a different field altogether. In addition to the personal benefits of learning something new, there are also several professional benefits as well. By adding extra tools to your arsenal, you feel better equipped to deal with any problem that comes your way. You could look at courses in public speaking, presenting on camera and building your emotional IQ.
Help others to be more confident themselves.
When you’re confident, it’s easier to be assertive and help others feel confident too.
Be generous with praise and when someone does something well, make a point to acknowledge them for it. On the flip side of that, be comfortable giving constructive criticism also. If someone isn’t doing as well as they could, let them know what they could do better so that their next attempt is more successful. You want people to feel comfortable asking for help when they need it or sharing their successes with the team because this will build trust among everyone on your team and increase collaboration between group members overall.
Be supportive in general, especially when someone makes a mistake and be sure sure to listen attentively when others want to talk about themselves, their projects, and their personal lives.
Learn from your mistakes and move on.
Acknowledge that everyone makes mistakes but don’t overthink them- learning from your mistakes and moving on is the best way to improve. Don’t dwell on how you could have done it better, but instead focus on what you can do now that will make a mistake like this avoidable in the future. It’s important to write down key points (or even just make a mental note) of what happened when something goes wrong and what you’d do differently next time. This can also help prepare yourself for future difficulties so you know how to deal with them appropriately when they come up again.
Take time for yourself every day.
It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day and forget to take time out for your own development.
Try setting aside an hour at the start or end of each day for relaxation alone—no work, no phone calls and no email- think you can do it? This will help reduce stress and boost your energy levels so that you can be more productive when it’s time to get back to work.
Consider doing something physical that helps you relax and refresh like yoga or swimming. Allocating time to yourself helps gives you a moment to reflect on life without the pressures of deadlines or competing issues.
