How can confidence be beneficial in the workplace?

Posted 3 years ago

“Be more confident” – it’s probably something the majority of us have heard at one point in our education or careers. But why is it such a sought after skill? And what benefits can it bring to you and your organisation?

Self-confidence is a mindset that can be learned by anyone. The word “confidence” comes from a Latin word which means “to trust”. Trusting in the value and abilities of someone or something.

But self-confidence is a fine line, too much confidence and you might come across as arrogant, too little and you might come across like you’re lacking in any confidence at all! Self-confidence – when you trust in your own value and abilities – means believing in yourself, whereas arrogance means having an inflated belief in yourself (the two are sometimes confused and used interchangeably).

Confidence is a key skill in the workplace for many reasons…

You’ll achieve more

Being more confident will mean that you’re more likely to engage in new projects that might be outside your comfort zone and result in you achieving and setting new goals. As you succeed in these new projects, you will gain trust and confidence from your colleagues and might lead you to inspire others to do the same.

Your communication skills will improve

If you’re confident in what you’re talking about, then you will be able to deliver your message clearly. Communication skills and confidence go hand in hand with each other, and both your colleagues and your clients will enjoy working with someone who can communicate effectively and with clarity.

You’ll be able to be more assertive

Being able to convey a message clearly and with conviction will result in you being taken seriously as an individual and might even help advance your career. It will also gain you respect from your colleagues and develop honest relationships.

It can reduce workplace stress

Focussing on the things you are good at and able to do will help you to feel more confident in your own abilities, and will mean you have a positive attitude to these tasks. But this attitude can also be passed over to the tasks you dislike doing. If you approach these tasks with a more positive mindset (driven by the tasks you’ve achieved or like doing) it will only bring positive benefits (and might even change your attitude to them!). Having a positive mindset about the things you both can and can’t do will reduce your workplace stress.

Helps with problem-solving

Being confident in your own abilities means you may be more likely to make suggestions or be more open to new approaches or solutions to problems both old and new. Problem-solving can also be achieved by having confidence in your colleagues or team to find a solution or complete a task, so a confident team is key!

Improves leadership skills

If you’re someone that aspires to be in a leadership role then confidence is a skill you will need to have. Having the ability to make decisions, as well as demonstrating you can take on more responsibility, are things that also come with confidence and something that employers or managers look out for when they are wanting to award promotions.

How can I be more confident?

Here are some tips…

Be knowledgeable on your organisation/role/industry
Use positive language (including body language)
Focus on your strengths
Build your network – you don’t always have to work with or communicate with people just in your team (reach out to those that are different to you to broaden your perspectives)
Ask questions
Develop more skills – just more things to add to your arsenal of knowledge!
Fake it until you make it – acting confident can take you further than you may think
Leave your comfort zone
Set yourself goals (break them down into manageable steps)
Learn from your mistakes – but don’t dwell on them!

Confidence Building Training

Our Confidence Building course will help staff to consider what confidence is and what it means to them. They will learn about the effects it can have on both their professional and personal life as well as learn some skills to start improving their own confidence.

Confidence Building is free for the whole of July 2021! Click here to find out more about this offer.