Lotus Midwest Ladyboss Lifestyle

Gain More Confidence in the Workplace

By McKenzie Schwark

Gaining Confidence in the workplace

One of the major factors holding women back in the workplace is confidence. Whether starting a new job, taking on more responsibility, or simply trying to feel better about yourself during the day-to-day, it can be especially hard to feel confident in the workplace. Here are some of our tips and tricks to gaining more confidence in the workplace.

Stop the negative self-talk

Negative self-talk can seem harmless enough. I mean if it’s all in your head, what harm could it do?! It turns out quite a bit. There are some serious consequences to negative self-talk, even if you keep it to yourself. Negative self-talk has been linked to diminished self-esteem, feelings of depression, and even relationship problems. Those things can take a huge toll on your confidence and self-esteem.

If you’ve found yourself getting caught up in negative self-talk, there are ways you can quiet that voice. Remind yourself that your thoughts and feelings aren’t reality. For example, you might think that after fumbling during a presentation your boss no longer sees you as a good presenter, when in reality your boss probably hardly noticed or they understand that things happen. Your view on yourself can be skewed the same way an outside observers could depending on your mood, environment, or other factors. Sometimes your thoughts can get carried away and it’s important to try and catch yourself in those moments and examine whether your perspective lines up with reality.

Focus on success rather than failure

Along with changing negative self-talk to positive self-talk, focusing on your success can also help change your view of yourself. Every successful person talks about how they had to fail first, and it’s important to remember that making mistakes makes you human. You can also often turn failures into successes by addressing and fixing the problem. But harping on the problem won’t get you closer to a solution or make it disappear. Instead try focusing on the things you have done well, especially in conversation with others. We’re all human, so we all get it.

Learn to ask questions

Over 75% of executive level women report feeling impostor syndrome at some point in their career. The truth is, most of us feel like we have no idea what we’re doing at least sometime. Not knowing everything can lead to feeling insecure and unconfident. But remember that everyone had to start somewhere and you never learn the answers if you don’t learn to ask the questions. It might seem like if you ask a question then the gig is up but arming yourself with information will make you feel more confident in your job and your skills.

Stop comparing yourself

Everyone is on their own journey, and everyone arrives at their own time. Comparing yourself to others can lead to negative self-talk and low self-esteem. Instead try and focus on yourself. Rather than being competitive with a coworker or colleague, compete with yourself. How can you improve on what you’re doing, or show up as an even better version of yourself? You never know what someone else is struggling with even if they seem like the most successful and confident person around. And you can’t be the best version of them, so you might as well try and be the best version of yourself.

Find a mentor

A good mentor can help you figure out and achieve your personal and professional goals. They can help remind you of your successes and positive attributes and answer questions that you have. Having someone to guide you through your career can help eliminate some self-doubt and uncertainty, and help you feel more grounded on your path. Doubting yourself is a total confidence killer, and a mentor can really help you stop doubting yourself and get on the right path.

Fake it until you make it

When all else fails, fake it ‘til you make it. Pretend to be the badass you want to be until you simply become it.