Lost confidence at work? Find out what to do now

“I’ve lost confidence at work” … this is one of the most common things I hear from students on my confidence courses.

Don’t panic. Even the most self-assured people admit to having lost confidence at work at some point. If you’ve lost confidence at work recently, you need to try to get it back as soon as you can. The longer you leave it, the more challenging it will be. You can use this simple technique to help you.

To get started, try to pinpoint the situations at work where your lack of confidence holds you back most; the times when you feel most out of your comfort zone. These could be ‘everyday’ situations or they could be more significant specific events. They could have happened as a ‘one-off’ or they could be challenges that you face regularly. It could be speaking up at meetings, giving presentations or meeting new clients for example.

Now pick one of these situations and think of overcoming this particular challenge as your personal project; some people actually call it their ‘Confidence Project’. Just like all projects, it will only succeed if it’s planned and prepared for thoroughly. The project needs to have clear objectives which are broken down into manageable stages. Dealing with self-confidence challenges becomes a lot easier if you take small steps at a time.

Have you downloaded The 4 Step Confidence Plan?

One of my students, Colin, really struggled with networking events. He found it a real challenge to start conversations with people he hadn’t met before. He would either make excuses so that he didn’t have to go to the event or turn up and keep himself to himself. He knew how ridiculous this was as they were supposed to be ‘networking’ events! He was also very conscious that he looked nervous and fidgety when he was out of his comfort zone.

For his networking events, Colin knew he needed to be more confident. So how did he do this?

Firstly, he wrote down all the reasons why he found networking events difficult. Colin wrote that he felt self-conscious about how he looked and sounded. He was worried about going red. He thought about how he felt on the inside too; he felt nervous and shy. He was also concerned about how to start and maintain a conversation.

By breaking down the reasons he felt unhappy, Colin gave himself small steps to work with. This way, his confidence project became clear and manageable.

Colin could now focus on one point at a time and research the different techniques to deal with each issue.

He started his project by visualizing how he wanted to look and feel during a networking event. By doing this he gave himself a clear overall objective to aim for. Colin kept visualizing exactly how he wanted to look, sound and feel so he was clear in his mind. The more he did this, the clearer his overall objective became.

Want to be more Assertive at Work?

Speak Up, Be Heard, Be Influential, Be Confident

So if you’ve lost confidence at work, try this simple technique:

1. Identify situations where you feel you’ve lost confidence at work and pick one to focus on.
2. Write down why you find it difficult.
3. Think about what you do physically to show your lack of confidence.
4. Think about how you feel inside.

Then start your project by visualizing how you want to look, feel and sound. This will not only focus your mind but also help you to start thinking positively about yourself.

This 3 minute animated video explains this technique in more detail.