You are a woman who has dreams to make a reality, goals to accomplish, and moves to make. Every night before bed, you see yourself in the corner office. You visualize earning promotion after promotion after promotion, because of the results you constantly deliver.
You see these things happening for you in your mind. Yet…. what you see in your mind’s eye and what you see with you natural eyes are not the same. What is happening? Why does it look like someone else is gaining all the things you dream about every night?
You know you have what it takes. You know you have the skills to make things happen. So again, what is the deal?
Let’s take a closer look. Quiz yourself.
Self-Awareness Check
- You are a confident woman, yet self-doubt keeps you from taking your current success to a higher level. YES or NO
- You are a confident woman, yet you struggle with showcasing your gifts, talents, and skills. YES or NO
- You are a confident woman, yet you have a track that plays in your mind that reminds you of personal setbacks. YES or NO
Did you answer NO to all the the statements? Then I applaud you and congratulate you on achieving what many woman strive to maintain.
Did you say YES to at least one of these statements? Ponder this: Confidence in the workplace is knowing your self-worth. It’s knowing what your skills, gifts, and talents are. Confidence is knowing what you can deliver to the table. There is no competition about it.
How many times have you been in a meeting, and your boss is asking for ideas? Do you listen to other people’s ideas and begin to think your idea is not as thought out? (Doubt) Or you wanted to give your idea, but didn’t think people would want to hear it? (self talk)
Your confidence will take you further than your skills. When you believe in what you can deliver, it glows on you so much that others can not help to notice and believe you, too. You do not have to force it.
Picture your skills like a brand new car. You saved, sacrificed, and worked hard to buy this car. You try to start the car, but it won’t start. You look at the dash, and…. you are out of gas. If your skills are like a car. Then your confidence is the gas to get you moving. What is the point of having the latest and greatest car, if you can’t get it off the lot? What is the point to having the degrees, experiences, and accolades, if you don’t have the confidence to go after what you really want?
So how do you build your confidence for your desired success?
7 Tips to Build Your Confidence
Here are 7 tips to start building your confidence:
1. Know what is expected in your current role.
Ask yourself, “What does excellence look like here?” What are my job expectations on paper vs. my boss’s interpretation of my job? Have you ever asked the person who does the promoting (i.e. your boss) what they expected of you?
2. Know what skills you already excel at now.
Know what you are good at already. Know where you are at your weakest. Being hyper-aware of yourself—great skills and weak skills—gives you more control over what you can accomplish.
The skills you excel at, are you number one in results? Where do you rank? Ensure that your skills are giving you your number one status. If you are not number one, it is okay. However I was once told by my boss, if you can’t be number one in every metric, you need to be number one in something.
3. Make a goal for reaching the next level of promotion.
For example, you might create a goal that says, “I want to be the team leader in my department” or “I want to promoted to the account leader for the next big account my firm gets.”
4. Map out a plan of action to reach that goal using the skills you are currently excelling at.
For example, your plan of action could say, “I will use my gifts of planning and creativity to make a department contest to promote higher results.”
5. Ask for help from related peers.
Do you know someone who has the same role as you in a different department? Look at their results. If they are beating your results, pick up the phone. It is okay to ask someone for tips and tricks. You should constantly be learning and growing.
Learning from your peers has two benefits:
- You accomplish goals faster then trying to figure out on your own.
- Keeps you humble. When you ask for help, you are telling yourself you do not have the answer, yet your pride is not going to keep you stuck in the same place.
6. Trust the process.
You will learn so much more if you remember it is a journey. Your current position offers its own set of learning curves. Learn as much as you can, so when you do earn that promotion, there will be no doubt that you earned it. There will be no doubt that you are the expert. So enjoy the ride.
7. Stay in the moment.
Promotion is not given to what you think you can do in the next position. It is given by what you are accomplishing in your current role.
When you focus more of your attention on what you do well and maintain the status, your confidence will skyrocket. Confidence is lost, because our focus is more on “what you need to work on” vs. what you have already accomplished.
About the Author
Alicia Ford is the Head Lady in Charge at Be Your Own Image. She is a Confidence Development Life Coach. She helps career driven women create the forward momentum needed for their desired success. She coaches clients through self doubt, negative self talk and create a plan of action using their gifts, talents, and skills to build the necessary confidence. She is also a lover of all things make-up and is a proud pet parent of Ms. Prissy the Chihuahua.
