5 ways to boost your confidence at work

Let me start by saying that confidence is something that you need to work on. When I meet people for the first time, many of them ask me how I can be so confident and speak in public or deliver presentations to senior executives with ease...let me tell you; I went on a long journey to get to where I am today. 

The good news is that, I think anyone with the right mindset and determination can boost their confidence anywhere - and the workplace is just the right place to start. 

Why? Well the situations, challenges and opportunities that a workplace can offer will help you to develop your capabilities and also reveal areas that you may need to work on. 

Here are the 5 ways I think you can boost your confidence at work.

Be kinder to yourself. Learn to talk to yourself more positively and if you need to - relearn how to do this. Our beliefs and ideas we have about ourselves are at the heart of the whole process of putting ourselves down, and they keep us in a constant state of harsh self-criticism. Imagine if someone was telling themselves “I’m just so useless!” or “Well, I’m a failure anyway”, in front of you. You would most likely try and help them put things into perspective and not let them talk about themselves like that. Well, you have to do the same for yourself. It’s often the case that we are more benevolent to others than we are to ourselves.

Everyone makes mistakes. Always wanting to be perfect in everything will leave you feeling inadequate. Failure and mistakes are a part of life; if you don’t fail or make mistakes, you will never learn and if you never learn you will never change. Free yourself to take risks and take on new responsibilities.

Love your strengths and face your weaknesses. Be honest with yourself - no one knows you better than you. The path to your confidence is admitting when you don't know something and then having an action plan to build on that. I make a note of the positive compliments that people give to me because when I have a moment where I lack self-confidence, I only remember the negative things and ignore all the positive things people have said. 

Dress for success. My friends laugh at me when I say “I will wear my ‘power suit’” but there is so much truth in it. When I am wearing clothes that make me feel confident and comfortable, my mindset also changes. If you give the impression that you’re confident and in control...people will believe this and when the rest of the world thinks you’re self-assured, you’ll start believing it, too. 

Be prepared. Look, it’s hard to be confident in yourself if you don’t think you’ll do well at something. Beat that feeling by preparing yourself as much as possible. Think about attending a meeting or attending an interview: if you haven’t reviewed the agenda or researched the company and the job profile, you won’t have much confidence in your abilities to do well on either. But if you did, you’re prepared, and you’ll be much more confident. Now think of life as your exam, and prepare yourself.