Quick fact: Workers with confidence earn 2x more than workers with low self-esteem. What’s more, confident workers get more job and position opportunities.
But what does confidence at work look like? I’m here to give you 15 examples of confidence in the workplace. I’ll also show you why it’s important in the work environment. But first…
What Is Self-Confidence?
According to the University of South Florida:
“Self-confidence is an attitude about your skills and abilities. It means you accept and trust yourself and have a sense of control in your life. You know your strengths and weaknesses well and have a positive view of yourself. You set realistic expectations and goals, communicate assertively, and can handle criticism.”
In other words, you trust your skills, abilities, decisions, and self-judgment. You know that you are capable of completing certain tasks and actions. Because of this, you don’t shrink back when it comes to what you need to do.
Why Is Workplace Confidence Important?
Now that you understand more about self-confidence, you can give a good guess as to why it’s so important. Here are just a few reasons for the importance of self-confidence in the workplace:
- Your performance will improve. When you trust that you’re capable of the job, you’ll become more productive. In turn, you’ll have a higher performance rate. This is what your employer (or hiring manager) wants to see.
- You become less stressed. If you’re always doubting your work, you’ll always be stressed whenever you do it. “Is it good enough? Am I doing it right?”. But if you’re confident, you can remove that unnecessary stress in your life.
- You boost your leadership role. If you’re confident at work, you’ll be able to make decisions. If your manager sees that, they may want to promote you to leadership roles.
- You will feel better about yourself. Self-confidence is about trusting in your abilities to complete tasks. When you do that, you’ll increase your self-esteem, too (self-esteem means that you value yourself).
- It will help you solve problems. There’s no denying it – you’ll face problems in the workplace, no matter how confident you are. However, if you have self-confidence, you’ll be able to work your way around those problems and improve even more.
15 Examples of Confidence in the Workplace
Yes, it’s important to have workplace confidence. But what exactly does that look like? To give you an idea, here are 15 examples of confidence in the workplace:
- Seeks knowledge
- Improves skills
- Accepts both strengths and weaknesses
- Focuses on strengths
- Finds ways to overcome weaknesses
- Has fun
- Asks questions
- Expands their network
- Always does the right thing
- Tries new challenges
- Accepts praise for completed projects
- Presents thoughts and ideas in meetings
- Loves feedback
- Appears confident
- Knows when they are not valued
With these examples of self-confidence in the workplace, you can see whether you’re confident or not. You can also check where you need to focus on to become more confident. All this will help you unlock success at the workplace.
1. Seeks Knowledge
A confident person always wants to know more and more about the job. They take the time to research industry trends, study online courses, and engage in industry events. Because of that, they become even better at their jobs.
On the flip side, if you have lots of self-doubt, you won’t even trust the knowledge that you already have. So you won’t go out and seek more knowledge.
If you want to become more confident at work, it’s a good idea to learn more about your job, the industry, and all that. If you know what you’re doing, you’ll be able to build confidence.
2. Improves skills
When someone has confidence in their ability, they don’t stop there. No, they try to improve their skills even more. They also make sure to add even more skills to their arsenal.
Are you struggling with a lack of confidence? You can build your confidence by working on your skills. When you feel that you’re good at it already, you can start to learn new skills.
Read More: How to Learn Skills Faster – 10 Tricks to Improve Quickly.
3. Accepts both strengths and weaknesses
You might think that a confident person ignores their weaknesses. That’s more of a stubborn person. Instead, they are confident enough to admit that they have weaknesses.
Nicole Lipkin, an Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist, puts it this way:
“If you have a strong right arm and a very weak left arm you will always favor your strong arm to carry something heavy. Over time, you risk tweaking your back because you’ve been putting so much weight on one side of your body. The same logic applies to our personalities when it comes to strengths and weaknesses. If you neglect your weaknesses, they’ll eventually overshadow your strengths. Your weakness may become your Achilles heel.”
She also adds:
“The willingness to accept your weaknesses in the interest of self-improvement is actually a vital strength. It will play a central role in your personal and professional success.”
If you want to build self-confidence, you might need to start by accepting both your strengths AND weaknesses. This is already a great start to build confidence at work.
4. Focuses on strengths
Of course, someone who is confident doesn’t wallow in their weaknesses. As Lipkin said, they will naturally use their strong arm to lift heavy items. And when they make good use of their strengths, good will come out of it.
For those with low confidence, try to focus on your strengths. Maybe this will give you the confidence boost you need so badly.
Read More: How to Find Your Strengths and Capitalize On Them.
5. Finds ways to overcome weaknesses
Yes, it’s good to accept your weaknesses. But a confident person is never satisfied with just that. They are confident enough that, if they work on it, they can overcome those weaknesses and turn them into strengths.
Maybe you won’t be able to fully overcome your weakness. But, if you work a bit on it every day, you won’t feel so insecure about it.
6. Has fun
When I ask, ‘What is confidence in the workplace?” You might picture a very serious person working away at their desk. No time for breaks. No time for fun. Again, that’s not true.
Someone with a healthy level of confidence always has fun at work. They genuinely enjoy what they’re doing (either because they love their job or they love challenges). Because of that, they will naturally have a positive attitude. Confidence and happiness go hand in hand.
So loosen up your muscles. Take a few breaks. Have a good laugh with your coworkers. Thinking that you need to be working hard all the time shows that you have a fear of failure.
Read More: 10 Reasons Having a Good Sense of Humor Is a Must in the Workplace.
7. Asks questions
Confident people aren’t afraid to ask questions. Since they want to produce the best outcome, they make sure they know exactly what needs to be done. This might include asking well-thought-of questions or questions that confirm steps or actions.
On the other hand, those with low confidence are afraid to ask anything because they think it will make them look stupid (or they’re just too shy to do it).
Marie G. McIntyre, a Career Coach, says this, “Executives appreciate employees who take an interest in the business, and they usually love to share their knowledge or perspective”.
Read More: 12 Tips How To Ask Questions At Work Without Being Annoying.
8. Expands their network
A confident person will feel comfortable with networking (whether in the workplace or outside). They can engage with others and are likely to help and be helped in many ways. This is especially great if you’re looking for a better job, as 30-50% of new employees are from referrals.
If you’re wondering how to show confidence at work, you can start by developing relationships in the workplace with people you trust. This will help you boost your confidence levels in many ways, including offering and receiving help.
Read More: Master These Communication Skills to Build Good Rapport Quickly.
9. Always does the right thing
If you’re confident in the workplace, you’ll always do the right thing, no matter what others are doing or think of you. Just because many workers are slacking at work, doesn’t mean you will do the same. Just because people think your confidence is a sign of arrogance, doesn’t mean it’s true.
A confident worker knows what’s right and will always do what’s right. If you want high self-confidence, then do what’s right and don’t mind the others.
10. Tries new challenges
People with belief in their abilities love to take on new challenges. They enjoy things that are outside their comfort zone. This can mean that they accept more (or new) responsibilities from their current employment or they leave behind their job for a new one.
If you want to go outside your comfort zone, you can take small steps in your day-to-day life and professional life. Try to take on new tasks, accept challenges, speak up, build new relationships, and develop new skills. All of this will help you gain higher confidence.
Read More: How to Be More Resilient and Overcome Challenges with Ease.
11. Accepts praise for completed projects
Something as simple as accepting praise from others is a sign of confidence at work. This is because it shows that you acknowledge your achievements, have a positive self-image, and are open to recognition. It also shows that you know that your completed project was accomplished through your efforts and not just luck.
If you want to gain confidence, you can start small by accepting when someone praises you for your work. Don’t immediately put it down to luck.
12. Presents thoughts and ideas in meetings
If you have a confident mindset, you’ll have something valuable to contribute in meetings or discussions. You won’t be shy to speak out. You’ll listen to others share their ideas and you share your ideas. This will lead to growth and improvement for everyone involved.
Ann Howell from Harvard Business Review shows us why speaking up is always a good idea. “In a recent team meeting, Olivia and her colleagues had been brainstorming some strategic decisions. Olivia, however, didn’t fully agree with the outcome and had a different perspective than that of her colleagues. She left the meeting disheartened. When I asked what happened when she voiced her concerns, she murmured, “I actually didn’t say anything.”
This is why having enough confidence to give your thoughts and ideas is something you should work on. Even if nothing comes out of it, at least people heard what you have to say.
13. Loves feedback
Those who lack confidence avoid feedback. They don’t want to know what anyone has to say about their work.
Opposite to that, confident people recognize that they can make mistakes. They want constructive criticism so they can improve even more. This is why they love to get feedback.
If you’re working on how to approach work with more self-confidence, get as much feedback as you can. See the areas where you need to improve your work and the areas where you did an excellent job. This will help you have a better performance, as well as gain feelings of confidence.
14. Appears confident
You can spot a confident person by the way they appear. They act and look confident. They keep eye contact when someone talks to them. They engage in conversations. Their body language shows security and positivity. They have good posture.
To help you feel more confident, you can start by looking confident. Making eye contact, sitting up straight, exuding a positive outlook, and talking to people are just a few ways to look the part (and hopefully soon feel the part, too).
15. Knows when they are not valued
Finally, when you’re confident, you will recognize signs your employer doesn’t value you in the workplace and have the confidence to seek a new job with new challenges.
This is one reason why confidence is important in the workplace. If you don’t have confidence, you will not recognize when your talents are being used for the benefit of others. Even if you do recognize it, you will be too afraid to look for a new job where you will be valued.
Final Words
What does confidence look like at work? Now you know the 15 examples of confidence in the workplace. If you match these examples, then you are a confident person. If not, then you should work on boosting your confidence with the tips that I gave. Remember, confidence at work will help you unlock success.
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