What do you do if your team members are struggling with self-doubt and need to build confidence?

Employees struggle with self-doubt and lack confidence because ?? They doubt their abilities and feel lacking in certain skills required to do the job ?? Comparing themselves to others who “seem” more successful, making employees feel inadequate ?? Remembering previous setbacks and failures…not willing to try new things or risks ?? Setting unrealistic standards makes employees feel like they’re a failure if the goals aren’t met ?? Negative comments and criticism from managers, coworkers, or clients makes us doubt our abilities ?? Lots of stress and pressure impacts employee’s self-esteem and confidence Managers and coworkers should provide support, encouragement, and constructive feedback. Help build self-confidence and eliminate self-doubt

Recognizing the signs of self-doubt is crucial. When team members exhibit hesitancy, self-criticism, or reluctance, it's essential to address these behaviors with empathy and understanding. By acknowledging their struggles, you create a safe space for open dialogue and support, laying the foundation for building confidence and resilience.

People begin to doubt themselves when they do not achieve successful results in the work they're doing or if they feel they do not understand the job. So, the simple techniques to remedy that would be: 1. If these are coming from the same person over a period of time, understand why and then eliminate the impediment: a) Is it something personal? b) Do they understand what they are supposed to do? c) R they facing any tangible or technical issues? 2. Now, rebuild their confidence:- a) Monitor and mentor closely over a few months. b) Connect regularly and establish feedback mechanism. c) Break down the task for them into smaller byte sized bits and set them up for success. 3. Celebrate every win and reward them suitably.

Self-doubt can be a real confidence crusher, and I see it crop up in the team sometimes. Here's what could be done to help the team: 1- One-on-One Chats: Schedule individual chats to understand their specific concerns. What's making them feel unsure? 2- Normalise It: Reassure them that self-doubt is common, even for experienced folks. It's something we all battle. 3- Reframe Challenges: Work together to see setbacks as learning experiences. Also, look back at their past successes to remind them of their strengths. 4- Small Wins, Big Boost: Set achievable goals together and celebrate reaching them. This builds momentum and keeps their confidence growing.

With my teams I always push for weekly retrospectives. They are 1-2 hours long and anonymous. Anyone can raised topics and we would all discuss them in a "lean coffee" format.

What are your channels of communication? Are all those working under you aware of them and know when to speak up not just to you but even laterally. Set an example by clarifying doubts and asking questions u r not aware of to those placed under you. Your vulnerability will encourage your team to be equally open to learning and clarifying doubts. Listen to all viewpoints patiently and try and understand where the objection is truly rooted. Do not succumb to jump to your own defense or knee-jerk reactions. Listen, ruminate and respond.

Doubt can arrive when we don't seem to progress on goals. It is important to explain that goals can be challenging but can be updated.

Bite sized tasks and mentor accordingly. When they achieve success at them, celebrate the win publicly and prepare them for slightly more. Again, monitor, course correct and repeat the cycle with added responsibility. Gradually over a period of time, that'll build confidence in them to take risks, try new things and embrace their vulnerabilities as well.

Additional when you notice that your team are lacking some confidence,the first thing you need to do is to give them some pep talk having gotten a clue on the reasons behind their low esteem. Given them as well something that would motivate them to do more and defeat the fear of failure.

I was leading a small UX team on a very large high-profile project at Apple. The team felt discouraged and demoralized after our stakeholder reviews. Even though we were delivering good design, we were stuck in a loop of subjective feedback that was chipping away at the team’s confidence. As the project manager, I set time in our daily stand up to address our morale as part of our prep. Each team member named their own goal for the review meeting. The effect was immediate. We had a new resilience for the design we presented. We were marching towards our own success, and it felt great. Sometimes we need to be reminded that circumstances don’t dictate the value of our work, it’s only our self perception.

Better than resilience teach anti-fragility. This notion developed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in the book called "Anti-fragility" You don't always win but you always learn and your teams should be aware of it

- Recognize Signs: Identify signs of self-doubt early. - Open Dialogue: Create a safe space for honest conversations. - Set Achievable Goals: Break tasks into manageable steps. - Provide Support: Offer mentorship and encouragement. - Celebrate Success: Acknowledge and reward achievements. - Foster Resilience: Encourage a positive mindset and learning from setbacks.