The more confidence you exude at work, the more your colleagues are likely to respect you. Not only that, but when you come off as confident, your manager is more likely to trust that you’re capable of even the most challenging tasks. That’s why it pays to take steps to build your confidence as an employee, and here’s how.
1. Know your strengths — and focus on them
We all have things we’re good at on the job, whether it’s our writing ability or presentation skills. If you want to improve on the confidence front, try focusing on the things you know you do best and aim to land in situations where you’re able to showcase your talents more frequently.
For example, if you’re a strong public speaker, offer to lead a training session for incoming hires. If you’re good at spotting errors, offer to comb through the company’s redesigned website to flag mistakes before it goes live. Excelling in key areas of the business will help you feel more confident in your performance — and in yourself.
2. Pinpoint your weakness — and aim to improve upon them
As employees, we all have areas where our skills aren’t up to par. Maybe you’re a numbers wiz but struggle to compose cohesive emails. Maybe you’re a solid researcher and fact-checker, but the idea of addressing an audience is enough to induce noticeable heart palpitations.
It’s normal to struggle in certain areas of your job, so don’t let your weaknesses drag you down. Instead, take steady steps to improve, as needed. Just knowing that you’re in the process of getting better at something you’ve struggled with will often do the trick in giving your confidence a much-needed boost.
3. Keep getting educated
The more you know about your job, company, and industry, the more confident you’re apt to come off. That’s why it pays to sink some time into boosting your knowledge set. You can accomplish this by reading industry news, reaching out and talking to experts, and attending conferences to gain insight into what’s happening in your line of work. These steps also will help you become a more valued employee, so they’re worth the investment.
4. Surround yourself with positive people
We all have those toxic coworkers who seem to get a thrill out of bringing us down and making us feel worthless. And while avoiding them completely is sometimes difficult or even impossible, one thing you can do is align yourself with positive colleagues who are not only supportive, but have good attitudes about their jobs and the company, in general. When you’re surrounded by folks who are generous with praise and eager to offer encouragement, those good vibes can help you more easily dismiss the feelings of self-doubt that may have previously been fueled by other people’s negativity.
When you walk around with an air of confidence at work, it can translate into better career growth. Even if you’re a reasonably confident employee at present, it never hurts to follow the above tips and take things up a notch. It could, in fact, be just the thing that lands you a raise, promotion, or whatever other professional goal you’ve been striving for.
