At some point, everyone has encountered that person who seems to have everything going for them. You may even be a little jealous, but you recognize that this particular person deserves every bit of their success. What are they doing differently?
I am not saying this is the end all, be all, but it’s likely that the magic ingredient is confidence. Not arrogance or a phony confident front, but a deep self-assuredness that they can accomplish anything—and so can everyone else around them. Real confidence is hard to come by, but at work it’s incredibly valuable.
Confidence is rarely something you’re born with; it’s learned over time, like any other skill. If you want to boost your work confidence, here are a few characteristics to emulate:
- Confident people are genuinely supportive of their coworkers. People who are insecure at work feel threatened by other people’s victories, which can cause them to become resentful or lash out. However, people confident in their abilities aren’t shaken by other people’s success and can show genuine happiness even when they’re not the center of attention. They recognize that there’s room for everyone to succeed—and that makes them a whole lot more enjoyable to work with.
- Confident people take risks. People who trust their abilities aren’t afraid to set big goals. They know that they can handle anything, so they’re willing to try everything. Confronting obstacles is a motivator for these type of people. When failure does happen, they can own up to it, find a solution and move on to the next challenge.
- Confident people improve by examining their weaknesses. Being confident isn’t the same as being perfect. Confident people recognize their strengths but aren’t afraid to admit that they have weaknesses. More importantly, they can face their weaknesses head-on and figure out ways to improve upon them. When they make a mistake, there’s no time wasted agonizing or placing the blame on someone else.
- Confident people show gratitude. When all eyes are on them, they don’t hog the spotlight—they show recognition for the people who helped them along the way. They’re secure enough in their own abilities to recognize when others do a great job (or even a better job than they did). Confidence and gratitude are closely tied.
