career progress

Talk yourself into a promotion: Why confidence is critical for your career progression.

Do you get nervous talking to colleagues? Are you afraid of public speaking? You’re not alone.

All bosses want confident employees. Confidence is one of the most critical skills in the workplace, providing many benefits. It assists you with public presentations, speaking to colleagues, taking risks, discussing concerns with your colleagues, putting yourself out there and sharing ideas, among other vital employment skills.

However, many people struggle to develop their confidence, especially at work. So, what can you do if you feel you lack confidence at work?

According to Hays , Kaplan Professional and Indeed, there are many ways to increase workplace confidence.

For example, developing a growth mindset is an excellent way to increase your confidence. A growth mindset involves taking a setback and using it as a tool for personal growth. For instance, you should see failure or challenge as an opportunity to learn.

Similarly, you should embrace mistakes as part of the learning process. You should use them to encourage yourself to take on new projects.

Taking a more optimistic approach may help you respond more easily to future challenges.

Appreciating your strengths and reminding yourself daily will help to grow your confidence.

Keep any self-criticism balanced and to a minimum. It is important to remember you are doing your best.

 You should give yourself daily goals broken into small tasks. Achieving these will help you instil a sense of confidence.

Remember, achievements come in many shapes and sizes. Maybe you haven’t achieved your big life goals yet, but that’s ok.  It’s important to celebrate and acknowledge your small wins and feedback and share the news with others. However, be mindful to be realistic of your achievements so you don’t seem self-absorbed.

Taking measured risks is also good for your confidence. Therefore, stepping Outside your comfort zone from time to time is a good thing and will be easier the more often you do it.

You can gain confidence by asking questions, allowing you to gain new knowledge in an area.

You should give yourself autonomy by setting a structure for the day and learning new skills. Developing new skills is one way you can increase your confidence.

To be seen as confident, it is important to act confidently. Confidence is about not just how you feel, but how you come across.  Think about how you walk into a room, your body language, your facial expressions, eye contact and posture.

But why is workplace culture so essential?

There are a number of reasons why workplace culture is important. These include:

Credibility

If you speak confidently, others will take your words and actions more seriously. Therefore, you may have greater authority.

Achieve more

A confident employee will more likely engage in challenging but manageable projects. From there, you may feel encouraged to set and reach new goals.

Communicate effectively

A confident speaker will communicate clearly and concisely. Your messages will be more likely to come across as intended.

Highly valued skill

In addition, many skills employers look for include interpersonal skills, professionalism, and enthusiasm all stem from confidence.

While crucial, increasing your confidence is a challenging skill to develop.

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Public Service Resumes recognises this and can help you increase your confidence.  We offer various services including, interview skills coaching and career development coaching.