Reclaiming Your Confidence at Work – 5 Tips to Confide in

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Ryan Walter CPC, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

Have you ever felt uncertain in your career? Perhaps you are questioning your abilities after a recent layoff, a failed project or string of projects, a critical mistake you made in your design, or simply something that someone said to you. Life’s challenges have a way of testing our confidence and even the best of us can get rattled and lose our swagger at times. The good news, however, is that you can get it back.

So, what is confidence anyway? Confidence is simply the quality or state of being certain. When we are confident, we are certain of ourselves, our ideas, and our capabilities. In her book, “The 5 Second Rule,” Mel Robbins describes that a big mistake that people make is thinking that confidence is a matter of personality. Confidence is not, however, a personality trait. In fact, some of the quietest people can be the most confident ones and the loudest can be least certain of themselves. She describes confidence as a skill. It is created by the small things that you do every day to build trust in yourself. Like any other skill, it requires repetition to improve. So, if we are seeking to improve our confidence or simply trying to get it back, how do we do so? Below are 5 tips to confide in when it comes to reclaiming your confidence at work.

1. – Return to Your Strengths

If you find that your confidence is rattled at work, the best way to get it back is to return to your strengths. Identify the skills that you both excel at and enjoy, and find a way to work them in to your work routine. For example, if you are a project manager and have a talent for leading and engaging with team members, structure your day to make sure you are maximizing your time in this area.

This may require some creativity on your part. If you are working on tasks that may be outside your comfort zone, think carefully about how you can introduce your strengths. Is there a portion of the project you can delegate so that you can focus of the aspects of the job that you are best at? For a project manager, this may include delegating the design components of the project to an engineer. Or if you are an engineer, it may mean focusing on the aspect of design that you are best at and delegating other tasks. When you go back to what you are best at and enjoy, you will reaffirm your abilities and naturally begin to feel more confident.

2. – Practice Confidence Daily

Address the source of your uncertainty head-on. Identify what it is specifically that is shaking your confidence and take practical steps to deal with it while also working on yourself. This might mean reading two books simultaneously– one on the specific source of your frustration (AutoCad for Dummies, Hydraulics, Steel Design, etc.) and a second on maximizing human potential. It might mean taking a technical class in the evening or staying late at work on your own time to learn a more effective way of doing something. Pay attention to how you are spending your available free time and be disciplined about what you are feeding your mind. This may require a change in your evening routine which replaces a Netflix binge with some necessary “homework” of reading or listening to an inspirational podcast to get you into a peak mental state.

As you take action in practicing confidence, recognize that even small steps forward can be beneficial. A concept known as “the progress principle” was identified by researchers in a May 2011 article in the Harvard Business Review. This is the idea that forward progress of any kind in meaningful work can boost our mood and increase our happiness and productivity levels. Make sure to celebrate the small wins and recognize that you are moving in right direction.

3. – Visualize a Confident YOU

Avoid the trap of seeing yourself as weak – rather recognize your current self as a “work-in progress.” Part of practicing confidence is seeing yourself as confident. Visualize the best version of your future self and keep it at the forefront of your mind. See yourself with a swagger. Envision yourself attacking your “problem” head on. Be descriptive in your imagery. What are you wearing? How are you standing? What do your facial expressions reveal?

Consider capturing a photo of your most confident self and keeping it as the background image on your smart phone. By keeping the image in front of you, you will begin to align with that version of yourself and take him or her with you wherever you go.

4. – Remember All That You Have Accomplished

Thinking about how you have progressed to the point you are right now can provide some much-needed perspective and instill in you a sense of confidence. If you are feeling stuck, remember another time in your life where you felt stuck but found a way to pull through. Consider owning a new belief system that will empower you in your present state. It could simply be “I always find a way.” A simple statement such as that can provide certainty at a time when you may otherwise be feeling uncertain about yourself.

Spend some time reconnecting with yourself and celebrating past accomplishments. Remember that you are not defined by a single project, a company, a person, or a circumstance. Rather, you are defined by your ability to rebound, persist, and persevere.

5. - Surround Yourself with People Who Build You Up

If your confidence begins to waver, it is important to surround yourself with people who believe in you and can reinforce a sense of belief and certainty in you. If you have a mentor or confidant at work, reach out to them and let them know what you are struggling with. Outside of work, connect with family members or close friends and let them know what is bothering you. People that believe in you will validate you as strong, certain, and confident. Their words of affirmation can have a profound effect and instantly shift your thoughts to empowering ones which will allow you to see yourself and your situation in a new light.

Coaching could also be an option if you are in a difficult season of questioning yourself and your abilities. A life coach could be a valuable resource and work with you individually to identify inner blocks or limiting beliefs that may be unconsciously working against you. A good coach will help you identify these blocks and replace them with empowering beliefs so that you can step into the best and most confident version of yourself.

Harvard Business Review, May 2011 article: The Power of Small Wins (hbr.org)