Building Confidence In A New Workplace
4 Action Steps to Build and Project Confidence
Question:
I recently moved to a new role and I do not feel good about it so far. I know I have the qualifications to do the job, but the other staff do not seem to give me credit. I used to think I was good at working with people, but now my confidence is shot. I do not think this will work out. How do I garner support in my new workplace?
Confidence And Success
No matter how strong your qualifications are, ‘credit’ is something you must earn. Depending on how you entered this situation, you may have projected too much confidence (implying a sense of entitlement) or perhaps you did not project enough confidence. While it is important to develop your relationship building skills, your success in a workplace is contingent on building the right kind of confidence. Instead of asking how you can get others to support you, begin by supporting yourself.
4 Steps to Building Confidence
1) Take an inventory your strengths. Sure, some things are going wrong. This is what happens when a person is adjusting to a new situation. Unfortunately, human nature dictates that humans have a built in ‘negativity’ bias. This means we tend to focus on what is not working. At times, the negativity bias inspires improvement, but it does not offer value when allowed to drain your self confidence. When under stress, you may focus on what can go wrong and forget what is going well. When you stop and inventory your strengths, you are providing yourself with the opportunity to focus on what you can do and not on what you cannot.
2) Project confidence: Confidence is a tricky thing. If you don’t project enough confidence, you may undermine your own abilities. If you project too much confidence, you may undermine your relationships. When you physically project the image of confidence, you may begin to feel confident. For example, by engaging in the ‘victory pose’ (arms in the air, chest out, standing tall) you can cause your brain to produce more chemicals associated with being confident. By sitting up straight or standing tall, putting your chest out and pumping your arms in the air you can create the right internal conditions to grow your confidence. If you are not projecting confidence others will see it and it will be more difficult for you to find.
3) Speak To Yourself With Confidence: Confident people say confident things to themselves all the time, not delusional things, but real actionable things. You have to change your self-talk to focus your abilities and when you hear negativity creeping in tell it to get out. Identify motivational phrases and create your own personal mantra. It may sound silly, but it has an impact if you apply it consistently over time. Saying, “I can do it” is a positive affirmation of your ability to do it!
4) Develop Your Skills: While you create the internal conditions to boost your confidence, do not forget that we all benefit by developing skills that need improvement. Create an extensive list of your strengths, but also create a short list of skills you would like to develop. Select one skill and take steps to work on it. Find a co-worker who is strong in this skill, and ask for suggestions as to how you can further develop it. This is a great way to build a relationship in the workplace.
Even after you have familiarized yourself with your work environment, it takes even more time for co-workers to recognize you as a contributor. Take time to get to know your colleagues. Ask them about their interests, company history, future career goals, and more. Share information about your own career journey and why you think this current role is a great place for you to continue to develop.
By projecting confidence in your abilities and taking the time to get to know your colleagues, you can change not only your perspective of yourself, but also the perspective of others.