How to be more confident at work

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Everyone suffers with confidence issues every once in a while but if you find that this is something that’s affecting your performance at work, it really could be holding you back in your career.

Many surveys have in fact revealed that there’s a strong correlation between confidence and success at work. Being able to display confidence in ourselves at work has even been shown to lead to higher salaries and quicker promotions.

The good news is that there are a number of things you can do about this so below we have highlighted some great ways to be more confident in the workplace.

Push yourself out of your comfort zone

When we’re lacking confidence, all we want to do is stick to what we know. Whilst this might feel safe, it’s actually holding you back because you’re not challenging or addressing your self-esteem issues.

One of the best things you can do to improve your confidence is to push yourself out of your comfort zone. You could try volunteering for a project that will help you develop new skills, apply for a job that’s a bit more challenging than you normally would, sign up to speak at a company presentation or even join a social club.

Whilst any of these things may seem incredibly daunting at first, the more you practice getting yourself out there the easier it will get. Furthermore, achieving something will give you a massive confidence boost.

Visualise what you want

A very popular technique which is used to help people boost their confidence and reach their goals, is to visualise the very thing they want to achieve. By imagining yourself in the job you want or being the person you want, you are far more likely to work towards it. Say you want to be better at public speaking for example. Imagine yourself giving a presentation to a large group of people and in your speech you are confident, knowledgeable and successful. When it comes to facing this situation for real, you will find that you are naturally a lot more confident.

Focus on what you’re good at

Whilst it’s good to challenge yourself every once in a while, when it comes to your general everyday workload, stick to what you’re good at and build on this. There’s no point dwelling over the things you can’t do because it will just bring you down and will eventually affect your performance in other areas of your work.

If you have a particular skill, focus on how you can develop this and become an expert in your field. You could ask for more training, attend conferences, shadow a more senior person in the company or gain further qualifications.

Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want

If you’re timid or lacking confidence, chances are that you would never dream of being upfront with people. The thought of doing so is probably terrifying and you don’t want to appear rude of presumptuous either. Believe it or not however, asking for that pay rise or promotion (as long as it’s justified) can do you the world of good as you reap the benefits and feel valued by your manager.