Episode Details

Back in Episode 083 (https://www.managingacareer.com/83) I talked about how Imposter Syndrome and Fear of Failure can derail your plans for career advancement. This week, I'd like to take a deeper dive at Confidence. Confidence, at it's very basic, is the believe that you will succeed in the current situation. Confidence is not arrogance; but they can be two side of the same coin.

The biggest difference between Confidence and Arrogance is how others react to you and how you treat those around you. When you are confident, you state your case assertively but with respect. If you are arrogant, you will come across as dominating and dismissive. When you are confident, your believe in success can encourage those around you and lead them to want to help. Being arrogant, though, can alienate others when you act superior to them.

So, how does confidence help when it comes to your career?

• Being confident makes you a better speaker. When you believe in what you are saying, it comes across to those you are speaking to. Your confidence will help you make your point stronger.
• When you are confident, you are focused on the final success and will not be hampered by small challenges along the way. Continued confidence in everything you do will have others considering you to be a "winner".
• As I mentioned earlier, being confident can inspire those around you. This type of inspiration will have others viewing you as a leader because most people want to follow proven winners.
• You confidence will also bring you bigger opportunities. When you are able to work through any challenges you face and still drive to success, you will gain the trust of your leaders. This trust will lead to those coveted higher-level assignments that eventually lead to promotion.

Some people have what seems to be a natural confidence. You may even think that they were born with that confidence. But, in reality, confidence is a lot like compound interest. When you have a small success, you gain some confidence, which helps you have more success, which leads to more confidence, which leads to more success, and so on and so forth. When someone seems to be naturally confident, it is just that you are seeing them so far past their initial, awkward phase. If you find yourself in a situation where you don't have confidence, as I said in the episode on Imposter Syndrome, set as small of a goal as you can; make success almost a guaranteed outcome. Your confidence will build and grow much like a snowball rolling down a hill.

Beyond starting with small wins, another confidence building technique is to practice self-affirmation. A negative mindset can erode your confidence. When you find yourself doubting your ability to succeed, you need to act quickly to change your mindset. Make positive statements about yourself, out loud if possible. As you make these statements, take a "superhero pose