The Silent Career Killer
The Silent Career Killer
A lack of self-confidence is dangerous to your career. It can manifest itself with arrogant or self-deprecating behavior. Our fears and insecurities are directly linked to our level of confidence. If you aren’t confident in your abilities and the value you offer, how can you expect someone else to be? In the end, you could very well be passed up for the promotion you want.
What happens to people who are unsure of their value? At the extreme, they don’t take risks and they set goals that are too low for fear of failure. Often, they don’t feel that they deserve success, money, promotions, etc. and may settle for less than what is easily attainable. For people who suffer from occasional declines in their confidence level, they can be afraid to voice their opinions; focus on the disadvantages of new opportunities; and have a harder time reaching their goals.
On the other hand, successful professionals are dynamic, decisive, and courageous. How can you possess these traits without being confident?
What most people don’t realize is that our actions are perpetuating the problem, not improving it. So how do you improve your confidence (if you suffer from severe self-esteem issues, I recommend seeing a mental health professional)? Check out these five tips:
1. Stop the self-sabotaging behaviors. Every time that you start to put yourself down, either in conversation or in your own head, stop. Replace that thought with a positive one. When someone compliments you, simply say “thank you.” Instead of asking “why me” ask “why not me?”
2. Don’t expect perfection from yourself. It’s great to have high expectations, but remember that you can’t be good at everything. Accept the fact that you have weaknesses – you are human. Put yourself in a position where you are building on your strengths and not overcoming your weaknesses. The more successes you experience, the more your confidence will rise.
3. Surround yourself with friends and colleagues who are supportive. Let go of relationships with people who feel compelled to point out all of your weaknesses. If you can’t separate yourself from them, put it in perspective and limit your interaction with them. People like this typically make themselves feel better by putting down those they find intimidating.
4. Don’t compare yourself to others. Define success for yourself and create a plan to reach your goals. Take stock of your achievements by focusing on what have you accomplished in your personal or professional life. Remind yourself of this from time to time and be proud.
5. Invest in yourself. If you don’t take care of yourself, who is going to do it for you? It’s amazing how much a new haircut or a new suit can affect your self-esteem. It’s not frivolous to take time out of your schedule to take care of yourself, especially if doing so makes you feel better. Don’t stop there. Continue to expand your knowledge and skills on whatever is important to you.
The Silent Career Killer - To learn more about this author, visit Jill Frank's Website.
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I consider myself lucky – I am surrounded by amazing people. They can be described as smart, successful, witty, passionate, and more. So, I’m shocked when I listen to these very people put themselves down. How it is that someone who is so great can have doubts about their value? I (and most others) see their accomplishments and their potential while they worry about their perceived failures and shortcomings.
A lack of self-confidence is dangerous to your career. It can manifest itself with arrogant or self-deprecating behavior. Our fears and insecurities are directly linked to our level of confidence. If you aren’t confident in your abilities and the value you offer, how can you expect someone else to be? In the end, you could very well be passed up for the promotion you want.
What happens to people who are unsure of their value? At the extreme, they don’t take risks and they set goals that are too low for fear of failure. Often, they don’t feel that they deserve success, money, promotions, etc. and may settle for less than what is easily attainable. For people who suffer from occasional declines in their confidence level, they can be afraid to voice their opinions; focus on the disadvantages of new opportunities; and have a harder time reaching their goals.
On the other hand, successful professionals are dynamic, decisive, and courageous. How can you possess these traits without being confident?
What most people don’t realize is that our actions are perpetuating the problem, not improving it. So how do you improve your confidence (if you suffer from severe self-esteem issues, I recommend seeing a mental health professional)? Check out these five tips:
1. Stop the self-sabotaging behaviors. Every time that you start to put yourself down, either in conversation or in your own head, stop. Replace that thought with a positive one. When someone compliments you, simply say “thank you.” Instead of asking “why me” ask “why not me?”
2. Don’t expect perfection from yourself. It’s great to have high expectations, but remember that you can’t be good at everything. Accept the fact that you have weaknesses – you are human. Put yourself in a position where you are building on your strengths and not overcoming your weaknesses. The more successes you experience, the more your confidence will rise.
3. Surround yourself with friends and colleagues who are supportive. Let go of relationships with people who feel compelled to point out all of your weaknesses. If you can’t separate yourself from them, put it in perspective and limit your interaction with them. People like this typically make themselves feel better by putting down those they find intimidating.
4. Don’t compare yourself to others. Define success for yourself and create a plan to reach your goals. Take stock of your achievements by focusing on what have you accomplished in your personal or professional life. Remind yourself of this from time to time and be proud.
5. Invest in yourself. If you don’t take care of yourself, who is going to do it for you? It’s amazing how much a new haircut or a new suit can affect your self-esteem. It’s not frivolous to take time out of your schedule to take care of yourself, especially if doing so makes you feel better. Don’t stop there. Continue to expand your knowledge and skills on whatever is important to you.
The Silent Career Killer - To learn more about this author, visit Jill Frank's Website.
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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