#AskJUGS: 3 Ways to Boost Your Confidence at Work

Maybe your boss doesn’t give you feedback regularly - or only provides negative feedback when things go wrong. Perhaps someone made a casual comment that left you second guessing yourself. Or maybe you recently made a mistake and you can’t quite figure out how to recover your confidence.

It’s common for people’s confidence to take the occasional hit at work or when you’re looking for a new job. Fortunately, it’s also totally possible to turn it around using these strategic and easy-to-implement tips.

Try a Self Assessment

Imagine that you’re the boss and consider the following: what you’ve learned in the last 6-12 months, what the impact of your work as been for your team or department, and 2-3 areas for growth or improvement.

While people can sometimes be their own worst critic, it can be helpful to do some reflection on your own learning and contributions so that you can identify what’s working and where to turn your attention in the future.

If you’re not sure how to get started, you can grab the free Cultivating Confidence Workbook, which includes a self assessment activity.

Ask for Feedback

Not receiving feedback (or worse, only receiving negative feedback!) can prevent you from hearing helpful insight into both your strengths and opportunities for further development.

If your manager isn’t offering regular or helpful insight into your abilities, try to find trusted colleagues, teammates or mentors and ask them directly for feedback. Let them know what you’re looking for and then ask them to share their observations.

Helpful feedback doesn’t have to come from your immediate supervisor so don’t be afraid to ask for it from others in your circle if you need it.

Always Be Learning

 If you know there’s a gap in your skill set, you don’t need permission to address it.

There are so many options for learning - Lynda, General Assembly, and even YouTube have tutorials, workshops and courses to help you develop both technical skills and so-called “soft” skills.

And because nothing wards of lack of confidence like a strategic plan, I’ve created a professional development plan in the Cultivating Confidence Workbook so that you can move forward confidently - with or without the support of a manager.

Remember, confidence isn’t a zero sum game and even the most confident among us can feel challenged at work.

Initiating a self assessment, finding the right people and creating a plan to develop around your own professional goals will help boost your confidence at work and ensure that you’re moving forward in your career.

Jenn Walker Wall writes a monthly career advice column called #AskJUGs for JustUsGalsBos.com and is the founder of Work Wonders Coaching + Consulting. You can follow her on Twitter: @JennWalkerWall. Ask your career questions here.