“In fact, confidence is no longer the right word. “When you realize your value to others, confidence is no longer about self-promotion,” she explains. People often get too wrapped up in what others will think to focus on what they have to offer, says Katie Orenstein, founder and director of The OpEd Project, a non-profit that empowers women to influence public policy by submitting opinion pieces to newspapers. On the flip side, don’t let modesty hold you back. “A certain degree of confidence - specifically, confidence in your ability to learn - is required to be willing to admit that you need guidance or support.” “It’s better to know when you need help, than not,” says Gruenfeld. Even people who are confident in their abilities can become more so with better preparation.Ĭonfident people aren’t only willing to practice, they’re also willing to acknowledge that they don’t - and can’t - know everything. Do a dry run before opening a new store,” says Gruenfeld. Actually deliver the big presentation more than once before the due date. “Practice can be very useful, and is highly recommended because in addition to building confidence, it also tends to improve quality. If you are unsure about your ability to do something - speak in front of large audience, negotiate with a tough customer - start by trying out the skills in a safe setting. But Schwartz argues that deliberate practice will almost always trump natural aptitude. Many people give up when they think they’re not good at a particular job or task, assuming the exertion is fruitless. “The best way to build confidence in a given area is to invest energy in it and work hard at it,” says Schwartz. Your piano teacher was right: practice does make perfect. Here’s how to do that and get into the virtuous cycle that Schwartz describes. Gruenfeld, the Moghadam Family Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior and Co-Director of the Executive Program for Women Leaders at Stanford Graduate School of Business. And yet he concedes that “insecurity plagues consciously or subconsciously every human being I’ve met.” Overcoming this self-doubt starts with honestly assessing your abilities (and your shortcomings) and then getting comfortable enough to capitalize on (and correct) them, adds Deborah H. “Confidence equals security equals positive emotion equals better performance,” says Tony Schwartz, the president and CEO of The Energy Project and the author of Be Excellent at Anything: The Four Keys to Transforming the Way We Work and Live. No one is immune to these bouts of insecurity at work, but they don’t have to hold you back. Yet everyone, from young people in their first real jobs to seasoned leaders in the upper ranks of organizations, have moments - or days, months, or even years - when they are unsure of their ability to tackle challenges. Very few people succeed in business without a degree of confidence.
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