One of the necessary traits for being a successful negotiator and leader is confidence. Without a healthy measure of self-esteem, a person will never be able to achieve their dreams. The following list includes 6 methods of boosting one’s own confidence and the confidence of employees.
- Recognize strengths: Many managers and authority figures are quick to point out their workers flaws, always noticing when something is done incorrectly. However, when a worker shows a particular innovative spirit or promise in a particular area, his or her efforts go unnoticed. Take the time to recognize your workers for their strengths instead of always berating them for their weaknesses. At the same time, learn to appreciate your own strengths and talents.
- Address weaknesses and fix them: If an employee has a particular weakness, don’t stop at pointing it out. Work with your employee to find out how he or she can better themselves, and how their weakness can be addressed, and if possible, eliminated. Another option is to turn that weakness into a strength. A basketball player who is well known for driving to the basket on the right side of the court might be able to fake out his or her opponents by sometimes taking a turn to the left.
- Give compliments: Everyone likes to have their work praised, and workers’ performance improves when they are recognized for their work. In addition to giving compliments to your coworkers, be gracious in receiving compliments. A coworker who brags or acts pompous upon receiving a compliment, or one who constantly denies the compliments of coworkers, will soon cease to receive them.
- Set realistic goals: One of the fastest ways to ruin your self-esteem is to set goals or expectations you are simply unable to achieve. Your continued failure will make you feel worse about yourself when in fact it was never realistic to expect success.
- Identify problems: Learn to recognize situations and tasks which harm your self esteem, and remove yourself from them. If you always feel bad about yourself after watching an unrealistic TV program, then stop watching that program. Get rid of toxic factors in your life, and if you need change don’t base your decisions on unrealistic comparisons.
- Challenge unhealthy thoughts: Often we are our own biggest critics, judging ourselves harshly and unnecessarily. When you find yourself thinking degrading thoughts, challenge them. If you wouldn’t let others talk about you in a certain way, then make sure you aren’t talking to yourself in that same fashion.
Learning to appreciate your own self worth and the worth of others and learning to increase confidence in the workplace is vital to the productivity and success of your business.
