How to Overcome Workplace Confidence Killers
By TRISOFT team
While some people seem to have everything working for them and are always positive, fearless and self-assured in the workplace, there will always be many who lack the confidence needed for them to achieve greatness and obtain outstanding results.
Hesitant people are often plagued with worries, doubts and the inability to take risks and voice their opinions or beliefs. However, in order to succeed in the professional world, employees need to overcome their fears and learn how to build self-assuredness.
The most common workplace confidence killers are the following.
1. Aspiring for perfection
lthough it’s natural to want to do your job as best as possible, workers sometimes set unrealistic goals and expectations for themselves. We must keep in mind that all individuals are different and therefore, standards should be customized for each of us, because when we fail to meet those standards, the outcome is always disappointment and frustration.
Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses; if you know that you gave your best on a project and did everything in your power for it to succeed, accept that you are only human and some things will simply not work out sometimes.
2. Micromanaging bosses
Having someone constantly look over your shoulder and tell you what your next step should be invariably leads to your feeling like you’re not doing your job well enough or you need a guide to see you through all the aspects of your daily tasks. However, if you know that you are good at what you do and mistakes seldom appear in your daily work, you should start thinking about what the boss’ behavior really points to.
Over-controlling people are actually more fearful and unconfident than we might think. Therefore, his actions speak more about him than about you. Understand this and take control over your work and assignments.
3. Disconnection from the work
If you begin to feel indifferent or even displeased with the work that you do, the first step should be trying to acquire a new perspective over things, so as to regain your optimism and passion. Remember why you became involved in this domain and what drove you to become better and better at it. Maybe you’ve fallen into a routine that needs to change. Maybe it’s time to climb up the ladder or take over some new assignments.
What could you do differently, so that you might take pleasure in your job once again? Talk things over with trusted colleagues or your boss, since it’s in everyone’s interest to keep you motivated and passionate in the workplace. If all else fails, maybe your current job just isn’t exploiting your expertise and abilities, so you might want to consider other career opportunities that could benefit more from your particular set of skills.
4. Fear of failure
This crippling feeling holds people back in ways that they don’t even realize. Workers might avoid speaking their minds, taking a stand in meetings or suggesting a new method for doing things. They could become so absorbed with fitting in and not disturbing anyone, that they miss the chance of standing out and showing everyone their unique competences.
Apprehension shouldn’t stand in the way of trying new things, for example, because even if you make a mistake, it’s only a failure if you don’t learn anything from that experience. Failure is not the opposite of success, but rather an intrinsic part of it.
5. Hostile working environment
Unpleasant and unsupportive colleagues or bosses can lead to professional dissatisfaction. Try not to take things personally, since their negativity is often caused by something inside them rather than something related to you.
Discuss their reasons for being so hostile and be open to accepting suggestions. Maybe they are right in some respects. If so, take appropriate measures. If not, stand your ground and don’t allow yourself to be bullied into becoming something you’re not only to please them.
Do better
People who want to overcome these workplace confidence killers and advance in their careers need to step outside their comfort zone and try novel things that might lead them to accomplishing their professional goals.
Building confidence means voicing one’s thoughts and opinions, contributing to meetings and projects, offering help even not asked explicitly, using a manner of expression that denotes your determination and self-possession.
If you don’t have enough experience in a certain domain, think of it as seeing the problem with a fresh set of eyes. Maybe you don’t know the field in depth, but you can offer new insights and original ideas. If you want to become more accustomed with the domain, take courses, classes, training programs that could help you become savvier.
Picking up new skills, asking questions, being curious and eager to learn will help you personally and aid you in becoming noticed by others as well. Eliminate negative language from your discourse and focus more on your successes. Know your value and let everyone else know it too.
At TRISOFT, we believe self-confidence isn’t something most people are born with, but rather it’s created through hard work and consistency. The sooner we accept responsibility for forging our own, the quicker we will change our lives and create the future we desire. It’s our choice to strengthen our confidence, rather than destroy it, and we must make this choice, in order to become more successful human beings.
