How to Overcome Common Workplace Confidence Killers

Confidence is vital to enjoying a successful career. Being confident at work gives you the necessary skills to deal with setbacks and disappointments. Confidence affects how you see yourself, how you act, and deal with others. However, being a confident person or not will affect how other people interact with you.

It may seem that some people are born with confidence. They are always ready to speak up at meetings and take on almost any task. You may notice that people who abound with confidence have a natural ability to convince those around them.

If you feel that you lack confidence, the good news is that feeling confident is a life skill you can learn. However, to succeed at work, it’s vital to get rid of common confidence killers.

This article examines four hurdles to feeling confident in the workplace. You will also learn how to combat each of these confidence killers.

How to Overcome 4 Confidence Killers in the Workplace

No matter how much natural confidence you have, everyone comes up against situations that can knock confidence. These confidence killers could be your view of yourself. Or it could be the actions of others. However, it doesn’t matter what is sapping your confidence, there are things you can do about it.

1. Perfectionism destroys confidence

Striving to do everything flawlessly can impact your confidence. Sometimes, striving for perfection is a way to try and boost self-belief. However, the result can be the opposite if you fall short on a project.

To stop being critical of yourself, it’s vital to develop a realistic approach. For example, did you do your best on a project? If so, you can’t ask for anything more. Also, no one is perfect, and mistakes don’t mean you’re a failure. So, try to squeeze out negative self-talk with some realistic and helpful thoughts.

2. Fear of failure can kill confidence

Fear can paralyse you and rob you of confidence in the workplace. It could be fear of speaking up at a meeting, not going for a promotion, or shying away from new challenges. However, you can use failure to your advantage—meaning you have nothing to fear.

How can you overcome a fear of failure? An article published by Berkeley University said that you could conquer a fear of failure with these three steps:

• Learn from past failures—Try to pick out the positives from previous experiences and learn from them. By making a few changes, you prevent failures in the future.
• View possibilities as challenges—Preparing well for tasks that could end up in failure can make you more successful. Rather than think about what could go wrong, try to imagine yourself doing well.
• Be kind to yourself—Try to be your best friend who provides comfort when things don’t go to plan.

3. Micromanaging bosses stifle confidence

It’s challenging to feel confident at work if your boss is continually micromanaging. Even if you’re sure about your abilities, being micromanaged can eat away at confidence. If your boss is always nit-picking at your work, try to remember that it is rarely your fault. Micromanagers are usually dealing with their own securities and lack trust in others.

Related reading: How to deal with a micromanaging boss.

4. Toxic workplace can challenge your confidence

It’s tough if you’re working with arrogant or critical people or must deal with bullying at work. Not only is a toxic office an unpleasant place to be, but it can also eat away at your self-confidence.

To cope with a toxic workplace environment, it’s crucial to detach yourself from the situation. How can you do that? Here are three ways:

• First, it’s vital to remember not to take the negativity personally.
• Second, it’s essential to switch off after work. This means turning off email and Slack notifications and not going over and over the work situation.
• Third, you may find it useful to make friends with those who stay positive in a negative environment.

In some cases, it may be necessary to speak with your colleague or HR about the situation. If you suspect bullying tactics, make a habit of documenting every interaction with the negative person.

Overcoming Common Workplace Confidence Killers

Confidence is an essential life skill that you can learn. In some cases, it means taking a more realistic of your abilities and your situation. Other times, you need to know how to deal with negative people. However, whatever the case, you can learn to beat confidence killers in the workplace.