|
|
Like this article? PLEASE +1 it! |  |
|
Building Confidence at Work
| Guest post by: Gloria Masters |
Article Overview: Should building confidence at work be your concern? Why should you invest in making people feel better about themselves? Surely it is up to the individual to deal with this in his or her own way? Unfortunately, you cannot afford to ignore this any longer, as what we are now discovering is that an individual’s lack of confidence and belief in themselves impacts on everyone around them, and ultimately the organisation as a whole. Lowered motivation, decreased productivity and fewer profit margins develop in direct proportion to lack of initiative taken by a Company in addressing this. Simply put lack of confidence is blocking motivation, attitude and ultimately performance in some workplaces here in NZ.
 |
Free Download - Potential And Performance By Gloria Masters |
Building Confidence at Work
As always, there
are effective ways to manage this, but first we need to know what signs to look
for, and ultimately work with.
The following is a simple outline for recognising what is a seeming lack of confidence in some, as well as those who apparently ‘exude’ confidence, but simply aren’t confident at all.
There are several reasons why someone may be lacking in confidence, but for the sake of simplicity – let’s keep it to three:
When we consider the first type listed (1. above), what typifies these people is that they have always been reticent and appeared unwilling to be noticed in the crowd. Don’t confuse this with shyness - as there is a difference between being shy and lacking in confidence. For the person lacking in confidence, they will be uncomfortable about being singled out for any attention whatsoever, and although they may be feeling many things, they will not show them outwardly. They have been conditioned from a young age that they are ‘not good enough’, ‘useless’, or have even been told they ‘will never amount to anything’. Unfortunately this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy – they just cannot believe they are worthwhile or effective at anything they do. Their behaviour will be accommodating as opposed to challenging and you will have to work hard to gain their belief that you do value their performance at work.
For the second type listed, what is apparent is that although they have a huge skill base and knowledge of their role and subsequent expectations – they are not prepared to put themselves out there to shine. This has usually come about because they have been ‘shut down’ by a Manager or Team Leader, who does not display ‘Emotional Intelligence’ at work. Unfortunately, this has knocked their confidence to the extent that they don’t wish to submit any new ideas or thoughts around project development or task completion. They no longer have the trust to do so. Interestingly enough, the Manager who did this to them has displayed the classic signs of insecurity or envy!
The following is a simple outline for recognising what is a seeming lack of confidence in some, as well as those who apparently ‘exude’ confidence, but simply aren’t confident at all.
There are several reasons why someone may be lacking in confidence, but for the sake of simplicity – let’s keep it to three:
- This has been a part of their personality since you have known them.
- They have been knocked back by a Manager with no Emotional Intelligence.
- They simply believe they are not good at their job.
When we consider the first type listed (1. above), what typifies these people is that they have always been reticent and appeared unwilling to be noticed in the crowd. Don’t confuse this with shyness - as there is a difference between being shy and lacking in confidence. For the person lacking in confidence, they will be uncomfortable about being singled out for any attention whatsoever, and although they may be feeling many things, they will not show them outwardly. They have been conditioned from a young age that they are ‘not good enough’, ‘useless’, or have even been told they ‘will never amount to anything’. Unfortunately this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy – they just cannot believe they are worthwhile or effective at anything they do. Their behaviour will be accommodating as opposed to challenging and you will have to work hard to gain their belief that you do value their performance at work.
For the second type listed, what is apparent is that although they have a huge skill base and knowledge of their role and subsequent expectations – they are not prepared to put themselves out there to shine. This has usually come about because they have been ‘shut down’ by a Manager or Team Leader, who does not display ‘Emotional Intelligence’ at work. Unfortunately, this has knocked their confidence to the extent that they don’t wish to submit any new ideas or thoughts around project development or task completion. They no longer have the trust to do so. Interestingly enough, the Manager who did this to them has displayed the classic signs of insecurity or envy!
For the third type, the lack of confidence you note in these people may appear in a different form, in other words they seem positive, bright and fully competent – but when push comes to shove – they just can’t deliver in a public forum. This will be particularly obvious when dealing with Senior Management and External Clients – basically anyone who they perceive holds a position of power or authority over them.
What you have here is a classic case of the ‘no confidence, but will mask it at all costs’ type of person.’ What will become apparent in the workplace, is that they are well liked, hard working, and appear fully capable. What you are not aware of; is this person’s complete lack of confidence/belief in themselves. They feel fraudulent and are waiting for you to discover that they can’t do the job at all!
Whichever it is, there are some ways to manage all types, so that you get the best from them and they feel more able to achieve what they need to at work.
The following are some ideas that will bring about this twofold effect – You being able to get the best performance they can give - and them feeling more confident about giving their best performance.
v Always acknowledge work presented. Do this in a public forum - except for Type 1 above - or through a face-to-face interaction/phone call. Do not omit to do this. (Don’t use email – it is a lesser form of communication).
v Begin to customise your recognition of them at work. This shows them you do think about them as an individual. Ways to do this (e.g.) may be in the form of movie tickets, rugby tickets or even a book voucher.
v Create an opening to start building their confidence by asking for their input on projects and then actually using this.
v Make time for this person to meet with you regularly, (with a loose agenda). This allows them to ‘open up’ to you if the possibility arises. Whatever you do, do not confront them about their lack of confidence, as they will have no choice but to withdraw from you.
v Act on anything they instigate – this is a natural confidence builder.
You will notice that by allowing them time to ‘evolve’ in the workplace they will naturally start to relax more, and if that happens, confidence will develop of its own accord.
Do not confuse a lack of confidence with a lack of ability. These will be some of your most focused and dedicated Team Members, and their contribution will be what can make or break a project succeeding. The only thing letting them down is their belief in themselves.
You have an opportunity to make a difference. You can begin to show your belief in them – through:
- Investing time in them
- Advocating for and promoting their ideas
- Following through on any promises made
- Recognising what is okay and what needs to be improved upon
- Keeping it real – do not be disingenuous, as this will become apparent
By adopting some of these ideas, you stand to gain not just their confidence in you, but also become an integral part in developing theirs.
Related Articles
The Role of Self-Confidence in Success
Building Your Confidence Is Easier Than You Think
Create Your Success by Faking it Till You Make It
Are You Confident Or Cocky?
4 Ways to Build Financial Confidence
Are You Ready to Improve Your Self Confidence Level?
Building Confidence In Employees Is A Key Management Role
10 Ways to Get Back into the Confidence Club
Personal Mastery And Improving Your Confidence
Trust in a New Age
Building Employee Confidence - The Amazing Benefits Of Summarizing
Building Confidence
6 Stages of Building Confidence: Learn step-by-step how to Deliberately Raise Your Confidence Level
Working with Confidence
The Key is Confidence
Self Confidence - A Key Ingredient to Personal and Business Success!
The Most Important Rule of Business
The Right Questions To Help You Recover From A Setback
What is Basket Analysis ?
What Creates Confidence?
Article Tags: attitude, confidence, motivation, performance, productivity
Referred by: http://www.irisbarrow.co.nz/
|
About the Author: Gloria Masters RSS for Gloria's articles - Visit Gloria's website Click here to visit Gloria's website   Building Confidence at Work Workplace Culture Motivation RETENTION OF STAFF MANAGERS AND LEADERS IS THERE A DIFFERENCE |
Related Forum Posts
6 Simple Ways to Be Taken More Seriously
- 1. Eye Contact
2. Be Assertive
3. Speak Clearly - Don't beat around the bush
4. Better to be the king the the court jester - only make jokes when apropriate. If your not serious then don't expect people to take you seriously
5. Confidence
6. Confidence (yes, confidence again!)
Boosting Confidence
- Confidence is something all of us women could stand to have infused in our blood 24/7! It’s one of those areas that many struggle with the most.
Through my coaching practice, I’ve discovered an underlying thread that seems to undermine confidence in some women. It has to do with confusing true confidence with pride or arrogance.
Confidence is being sure of who you are and what you are able to do in a way that does not compare yourself to others. It is not dependent on value because every one of us women is valuable.
Pride or arrogance is when someone lifts him or herself above others as if they are more valuable than others. It also seems to be related to "approval addiction" where the self esteem must continually be fed by others or they don't feel good about themselves. Thus, some arrogant people put others down so they can see themselves as above.
Confidence is simply being all of the great woman you already are. You want to create a great business and you want to do your job well. It is not prideful to be confident in what you are doing.
I invite you to give yourself permission to really let your abilities come forward and see what happens to you and your business as a result.
I’d also love to hear what methods you have for boosting your own confidence.
Type of business with building
- If you owned a building and Wal-Mart was opening its doors across the street in a previously unoccupied area (along with 12-14 small shops), what type of business would you start?
Here are the considerations:
1. Money is a non-factor
2. Building is fairly large (10,000) square feet
3. Building is on the corner of a busy intersection (about to get much busier)
Books for Women Entrepreneurs
- There's a thread for good books in the Resources folder, but it doesn't target books for businesswomen particularly, so I figured I'd start such a thread here.
It doesn't matter how successful you are in your business - it's always possible to learn something new.
In subsequent posts I give Table of Contents and brief descriptions for various titles - most of them devoted to the businesswoman - and sometimes a review. If anyone else has read a review, or has read the book and found it useful, please comment!
1. The Old Girl's Network
2. Mother's Work
3. The 7 Greatest Truths About Successful Women
4. Pitch Like A Girl
5. Workplace Warrior
6. Treasure Hunt: Inside the Mind of the Modern Consumer
7. Contingency Planning & Disaster Recovery
8. She Wins, You Win
9. Napoleon On Project Management
10. Why Good Girls Dont' Get Ahead, But Gutsy Girls Do
11. Comeback Moms: How to Leave Work, Raise Children, and Restart your Career even If you Haven't Had a Job in Years
12. The One Minute Millionaire
13. Talking From 9 to 5
14. Soloing: Realizing Your Life's Ambitions
15. 101 Best Home Based Businesses for Women: Everything You Need to Know About Getting Started on the Road To Success
16. Work With Passion: How to Do What You Love for a Living. Revised and Expanded
17. Fail-Proof Your Business: Beat the Odds and be Successful
18. Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End
19. Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide
20. Millionaire Women Next Door: The Many Journeys of Successful American Businesswomen
21. Start Small, Finish Big: Fifteen Key Lessons to Start - and Run - Your Own Successful Business
22. Rewired, Rehired or Retired: A Global Guide for the Experienced Worker
23. The Martha Rules: 10 essentials for achieving success as you start, build or manage a business
24. The Essentials of Entrepreneurship: What it takes to create Successful Enterprises
25. Net Ready: Strategies for Success in the E-conomy
26. The Promotable Woman
27. Leave The Office Earlier: The Productivity Pro shows you how to do more in less time and feel great about it
28. The Work At Home Balancing Act: The professional resource guide for managing yourself, your work, and your family at home
29. Secrets of Six-Figure Women
Re: What's your top tip for balancing your business and taking t
- Proper Work management meeting your all deadlines....
Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.
Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.
Featured Article
by: 
Best Automated Forex Trading Strategy
Build Your List with Joint Venture Giveaway Events
May 2012 Top 100 Social Media Experts to Follow on Twitter
What to measure to be phenomenally successful in business
10 mistakes of media relations
Newsletter
Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Popular Articles
Inspiration for troubled times
How do I finance a franchise?
Environment and productivity at the office
Inspiration for troubled times
How do I finance a franchise?
Environment and productivity at the office
Suggestions
Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.
Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.