5 Simple Ways to Show Confidence at Work
Here are five ways you can build and exude your confidence so that you stand out and lead in your career.
Actionable lessons from the girl who spent the first part of her career hiding in the corner, waiting to be noticed (which never worked).
I struggled with feelings of inadequacy at work for many years. I wanted to be noticed, elevated and promoted and I never felt ready or good enough. I thought I needed another certification, an MBA, and more experience.
The truth? I needed confidence. My career transformed shockingly fast when I developed sincere, reality-based confidence.
1. Be Yourself
You can’t open a magazine or scroll through Instagram without reading “Be Authentic.” But what does that even mean?
It means bringing all your experience, strengths, abilities and personality to the table at work in a way that is uniquely you. Your experience as a teacher might translate into being the go-to presenter in the boardroom or the one who can simplify and explain complex concepts to the room. If you have a listening ear that people love to confide in, you may become the trustworthy colleague that uplifts and empowers the team when things are hard.
Your unique abilities don’t have to directly correlate with your job description. I started out working in Human Resources in a position designated to terminate, discipline and sift through grievances. I did those things, but also harnessed my experience as a coach, teacher, and trainer to develop a proactive leadership and supervisor training course. The training course expanded my network in my organization, built relationships with key leaders, and allowed my natural abilities to shine in an otherwise grim position.
Action Tip: Take stock of your personal strengths, experiences and attributes. If you struggle to see them, ask a few trusted friends and colleagues what they see as your strengths.
Download my free guide “Find Your Superpower.” So that you can see your strengths clearly and know how to bring your special, unique self into the workplace.
WARNING: Don’t confuse authenticity with being your raw, unfiltered self at work. Excessive emotional outbursts, dragging a team down with toxic negativity, and crude jokes are just a few sure-fire ways you can tank your own career and reputation. Leave those at home and focus on your natural abilities that can contribute to and build a team.
2. Ditch Feelings of Inadequacy & Commit to Being Resourceful
Any meaningful endeavor stretches you in ways that feel uncomfortable. In those moments, you have a choice. You can either focus on your inadequacy or empower your personal resourcefulness.
Take thoughts like “what if I’m not good enough?” and replace them with “I can learn and everything new takes practice.” Here are a few common inadequate thoughts and some suggested replacements:
Action Tip: When you catch yourself in a negative, limiting thought, grab a pen or your notes app and write your thoughts out. For each one, craft a new resourceful thought next to it and say it outloud a few times.
Marie Forleo’s mantra is “Everything is Figureoutable”, and she has an inspiring book of the same name that will build your confidence in your ability to figure things out as you go.
3. Focus on Building Others Up
One of the most natural traps we fall into at work is to focus on ourselves. What do we think? How are we feeling? We live in a stream of constant mental chatter that is naturally “me” focused.
When you spend your energy focusing on building and lifting the people around you, you will naturally stand out in the best way possible. Look for ways to encourage and support your team. Even a smile or simple comment like “ You helped me think about this project in an entirely new way” can lift someone’s spirits. If you have some additional bandwidth, ask to work on an interesting project or volunteer to support your supervisor with some of what is on her plate. Bonus! You can be a team player and expand your resume and skill set at the same time.
Action Tip: Ask yourself each morning “Who needs my help today?” and stay on the lookout for the answer to your question.
WARNING: One of the quickest ways to get weighed down at your work is to become the center of everyone’s drama. Rather than dwell on someone’s complaining and frustration, step in with a positive, proactive, and supportive comment or task.
4. Speak Up
Your boss and colleagues aren’t mind readers. So, if you are going to be noticed for your authentic, genuine qualities, you need to speak up and share them. If you are excited about social media and have built a strong instagram profile for yourself, when your team decides it’s time for a social media presence at work, share your experience and take on that task.
Too many brilliant ideas go left unsaid during planning sessions or brainstorming meetings because the same few voices do all the talking. Share your ideas. Even if it isn’t ultimately accepted, you will go from being a passive participant to an active contributor. Trust me. This is noticed.
Each of us has a communication style we prefer. It’s wise to practice speaking up in a meeting, but if a one-on-one setting is easier for you, then start there. Go directly to the project or team lead and share your ideas and your experience and how you could contribute to the team.
Emails or messaging apps are always an option, but whenever possible, try to have a person-to-person experience. This is how relationships are built.
Action Tip: The next time you have a thought you feel you should share in a meeting, instead of squelching the idea, speak up. Make it a goal to contribute and actively speak in any meeting you attend (where appropriate). The more you do it, the easier it will be.
5. Be Happy
Happy people are enjoyable to be around. When it comes right down to it, we want to work closer with people we enjoy. If a leader has a choice of an insanely skilled, but difficult employee and a decently skilled but enjoyable employee, more often than not, they will choose to work with the pleasant employee.
Happiness is a choice and it can be chosen in even the most difficult circumstances and workplaces. No one expects you to be a robot at work. You will have your natural emotions and reactions. Learning how to express and channel those reactions over time will add up to how you are perceived at work.
Sometimes the path to happiness starts with learning how to handle rejection, setbacks, stress and disappointment with grace. Take the walk, cry in the bathroom, close your office door and meditate. And then focus on what is going right and what you can control.
Action Tip: Start each day with the decision to be happy and look for reasons to feel that way. You’ll be surprised how many more happy days you experience at work.
Confidence is a game-changer in any career. Try one or all of these tips today. Which one are you going to try? Leave a comment and let me know.