How do you define confidence? What importance does confidence have in your career and in your life? Is confidence a foreign concept to you that you may have observed and admired in others? Maybe you have even experienced it yourself at a time but you were unable to reproduce that feeling consistently. What if I told you that building your confidence could change your career trajectory? How interested would you be in hearing more?

Experiencing a drop in your level of confidence in the corporate world is completely normal and usually occurs when facing a new challenge, such as growing into a leadership role or taking on more responsibility. When we find ourselves in an unknown situation our inner critic almost immediately rears its ugly head. Asking questions such as “do you have any clue what you are doing?” or “who do you think you are to be in charge?”, or here is another favorite one of mine “are you sure you are good enough and have what it takes to… (you can fill in the blanks)”? 

Those voices can be paralyzing. A commonly used piece of advice in these scenarios is to “fake it, till you make it”, suggesting that by imitating confidence and competence you can achieve the desired results without other people noticing. This might be a temporary fix, similar to taking a pain killer to help you with those throbbing headaches you have each week, but the results are not lasting since they do not address the root cause.  

Statistics show that women have less confidence than men. This phenomenon is described in the literature as “the confidence gap” or as “imposter syndrome”. To this day lack of confidence is a contributing factor why we have fewer women in top leadership positions. The good news is that confidence can be gained and built, and it is within your power to grow your confidence so you can positively impact your career trajectory. 

Although I have had an awesome career in the corporate world that took me to the executive level in multi-billion-dollar organizations, I wish I had had a mentor or coach share with me the following concepts of how you can increase your level of confidence because when mastered, they are accelerators in one’s career trajectory:

Become Aware of Your Gifts and Talents

List all of the accomplishments you have achieved in your life, whether they are athletic in nature, a creative art project, an act of kindness, etc. Think about what it was about YOU that allowed you to experience those successes and embrace them as your innate strengths. This will increase your level of energy and boost your confidence. 

Deal with Your Inner Critic

Have a conversation with yourself (I realize that this may sound like an unconventional suggestion). Ask the question; What evidence there is that you are not capable? Are you telling yourself that you have tried this in the past and failed? What makes you think that this situation will have the same outcome? What have you learned since the last time you tried? Get to the bottom of what your inner critic is telling you and challenge it.  

Detach From the Outcome

If you can approach a situation without the need for the end result to be a “win” however you may define winning; and look at it as a learning opportunity, you will automatically grow from the experience. So what if you have a setback and the outcome was not as planned despite all of the effort you invested? It is not the end of the world. Dust yourself off and try again. Utilize the feedback to learn what you can do differently next time.

I came across the following quote: “Low self-confidence isn’t a life sentence. Self-confidence can be learned, practiced, and mastered–just like any other skill. Once you master it, everything in your life will change for the better.” (Barrie Davenport) If you truly believed this, how would this change the risks you were willing to take and the trajectory of your career? My prediction – you will soar!

As a professional coach, I empower women to achieve the career of their dreams at an accelerated pace. Working with me may increase your level of confidence in your abilities. Let’s explore in a 30-minute complimentary call how I can help you change YOUR career trajectory.