Have you ever been in a meeting with that obnoxious person who knows very little about the topic at hand, yet confidently presents as the expert? You ask yourself, “Why is everyone else taking this person seriously?”
Confidence is often mistaken for competence. Which means that we’ve got to protect and boost our confidence so that our true competence shines through. This month we look at what can kill our confidence and ways to recover.
One confidence builder is to know how to advocate for yourself. If you would like to build your confidence in advocating for yourself, join me on March 31 for a one day workshop in Houston. Learn more here about Communicate to Advance: The Skills You Need to Get What You Want.
I’d love to see you on March 31!
Warm Regards,
Susan
Feature Article
Overcome Your Confidence Killers
How’s your confidence these days? If you’re feeling strong and confident, great! If, however, the industry challenges have impacted your career or your working environment is stressful, your confidence may have taken a toll.
Maybe you’re in a place where your confidence has been whittled away. You once had it, but now you are doubting yourself, wondering if you’ll ever get that promotion, if you really can do that next challenging job, or maybe even worried that you’ll not have a job.
When we lose our confidence, it shows and causes others to doubt us…because confidence is often mistaken for competence.
Some of the confidence killers we encounter are:
Not feeling valued. When you work really hard and you realize your efforts are not recognized, it wears you down.
Overlooked for roles or promotions. When you set your sights on that promotion or next assignment, and it goes to someone who you know is not as competent as you, you may take it personally and doubt yourself.
Making mistakes without learning and recovering. We all make mistakes in our career. I certainly have. What kills our confidence is when we fail to recover from them. Instead, we start wearing them like a label, believing that somehow our little mistake has now become a part of who we are.
Critical people in your career path. It may be a critical boss. Or perhaps you work in a department where all you deal with are problems and negative people. Soon you start absorbing their attitudes.
When we take the initiative to reclaim our view of ourselves, we regain control of our confidence and our career.
Setting and meeting goals increases confidence. I’ve never seen someone set goals too high and lose their confidence because they failed to meet them. But I have seen people without goals doubt their abilities.
Knowing your value increases your confidence. When you are clear on how you add value you can direct your efforts to those activities. Recognition is most likely to come from where you add the greatest value.
Know your options. Keeping a broad perspective on career options and getting that confirmed by others gives you the confidence of knowing you have choices.
Articulate your accomplishments. Knowing what you’ve accomplished and letting it be known to others helps you feel good about what you’ve done and be recognized for it. We all need to have that confidence that comes from within, but it is also important for our careers to have external recognition for what we do.
Communicating our accomplishments without bragging is a common concern for many clients. If you feel uncomfortable talking about what you’ve achieved, there is an upcoming workshop to build skills that help you get recognition for your hard work. Communicate to Advance: Skills You Need to Get What You Want is a one day workshop held in Houston on March 31. Register before March 10 for the early bird discount here:
Here’s what previous attendees have said about the workshop:
“You gave me the confidence to know what I’m good at and to pursue it.” -Engineer
“I received 3 offers for positions I wanted! I practiced [the strategies you taught me] before each interview which truly made a difference. I felt calm, confident and reached my goals. I will be honest with you that was one of the most satisfying feelings I have had in a long time!” – MBA Candidate
“Your course gave me the courage to get out there to meet people and showcase my strengths. As a result I was recommended for and selected for the new job I wanted.” Credit Manager
If you would like to experience the feeling of calm and confident like the women above, I’d love to have you join me on March 31 for the Communicate to Advance Workshop. You’ll learn skills that build your confidence and and help you gain control of your career.
Resource Corner
How Smart People Work Less and Get More Done by Dr. Travis Bradbury: If you’ve been looking for the evidence that working more is not the best strategy, read this article.
HERWorld Energy Forum 2017: The Next Era in Energy: Lean In, Join In, All In. Click here for info on an informative and stimulating way to spend International Women’s Day regardless of where you reside.
About Susan
Susan Hodge created Women Leading Together in order to provide seminars, workshops, and coaching circles to help career women move forward to create fulfilling careers. Visit our website at www.WomenLeadingTogether.com.
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Events
Upcoming Workshop March 31 – Communicate to Advance: The Skills You Need to Get What You Want. One day workshop held in Houston, TX. Click here or contact Susanfor details.
Individual Career and Executive Coaching: For more info contact Susan.
