Lost Confidence At Work? Do This To Regain It!
Losing confidence at work can happen for a number of reasons, and it's important to recognize when it's happening so that you can overcome in. Maybe you've been doing the same work for a number of years and are starting to feel like you aren't growing or bringing any additional value to the table. Perhaps you've lost confidence because you haven't received positive feedback in a while, or any feedback at all, and you're left wondering whether or not you're doing a good job. Maybe you're noticing other employees getting more visibility and recognition and it's left you feeling like you're not worthy of the same.
If this sounds familiar and you're feeling like you've lost confidence at work, then I've got a great tip for you. This is something that has really helped me to build my confidence at work. What I noticed is that after doing this a couple of times, it just became second nature and was almost
a snowball effect. I found myself wanting to do it more, which only led to me seeing more opportunities open up for me to grow and establish myself in my role.
Disclaimer: This tip is going to require a little bit of courage, but I know you've got it.
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Start with an idea that you have - particularly one that will solve a problem.
Maybe there's a process that you notice can be improved or made more efficient. Whatever your idea is, I want you to start sharing that idea with your peers. Get their input on whether or not they think your solution would save time/money, or just make life easier.
What happens when you do this is you start to build momentum. The more head nods you receive, letting you know that your idea is a good one, the more confident you become! You may even find that the colleagues you talk to have suggestions that make your idea even better, so be sure welcome any feedback or input as you receive it.
After you've run your idea past a number of people, you'll reach a point where you feel that your idea is fully vetted. Now, here is where your courage is going to be required again. Next, I want you to share your idea with your Manager. Let them know the current state vs future state, and how your idea can get you there and make an impact on the business or the team.
More than likely, just as your peers did, they're also going to agree that your idea is a good one. Then they're going to ask you to execute on it. Execute on your idea with full force, to not only show them that you're capable, but to also prove to yourself that you add value and are worthy of more opportunities to shine.
Proposing solutions proactively is such a great way to establish yourself as a valuable asset to your team. As a manager, I personally love when my team proactively brings ideas to the table. It shows that they are ambitious, and invested both their careers and in the success of the team. After you've taken your idea from concept to reality, you'll be able to take a step back and say, 'I did that!' Then you'll likely want to do it again...and again. People will begin to proactively seek out your opinion on other ideas, and will trust in you to help make decisions.
Try this out and say goodbye to your lack of confidence at work. If you find yourself lacking confidence in the future, just come back to this as a recurring best practice.
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