Feeling anxious about a new professional challenge is natural. In fact, imposter syndrome — the creeping fear that others will discover you aren’t as smart, capable, or creative as they think you are — is a lot more common than you might guess.
Most people feel like a fraud from time to time, and “many of us never completely shed those fears — we work them out as they come,” says Amy J.C. Cuddy, a professor at Harvard Business School.
Leading UK career consultant, Sarah Berry of careerconsultants.co.uk has the following
advice to boost your confidence at work:
1. Invest in Yourself
Don’t wait for your boss or your colleagues to deem you worthy of a new project or promotion at work. Decide this yourself because for things to change in your career, you have to make change welcome. That’s right: you need to genuinely believe change is good. And even if the transition process proves challenging, I promise you’ll enjoy the results.
2. Accept Yourself
First and foremost, you need to get over yourself. You have to accept and if you can, love all your good and bad points. That’s because people tend to be much more attractive, approachable and promotable if they’re honest about themselves.
There’s no point trying to hide or pretend that you’re something you’re not. Or that you can do a task, if you can’t. If you adopt a fake approach, you’ll probably end up feeling quite empty inside as the energy you need for activity and fun is used up trying to compensate for what you’re not.
3. Ease your Struggle
If you’re constantly hiding or stuffing your feelings, they’re likely to show up in your body. Being anxious, overwhelmed by what you have to do, or ignoring your own needs has to be dealt with at some point. Otherwise each little disappointment, frustration or set back can appear as ‘pain’ in the body. And when you feel that pain, whether it’s in the form of back, neck, shoulder or head pain, it usually means it’s time to look at how things are panning out for you at work.
4. Focus on your Work Performance
It is really worth expecting more of yourself. Even if you’ve never done this before or no one backs you, do it for yourself. It’s a wonderful feeling to raise your standards and to show your work colleagues that you really can be counted upon. Simple things like replying to people’s emails, returning their calls, thanking them for their support or delivering what you promised is going to make being around you a more pleasant experience.
Also, it’s often the small things like avoiding office gossip and reaching out to someone in need that helps you raise your own energy. Take a moment today to think of three things you could improve in your day-to-day tasks. And then do this consistently on a weekly basis.
5. Invest in yourself
Be critical of your wardrobe. Could you be making a bit more effort to look professional and smart? Taking pride in your appearance is a good way to get yourself noticed and it shows your work colleagues how much you value yourself.
Also, decide what you want to be recognised for at work and then invest in a professional training programme. Training is excellent for re-focusing your mind and breaking old mind structures and patterns of thought. Plus it helps you renew and boost your energy to new levels.
Sarah Berry, Managing Director and Lead Consultant at www.careerconsultants.co.uk, believes that everyone has a career purpose even if they are unsure what it is. It is a matter of identifying what you are good at and then getting on the right career path for you. It may involve marketing yourself in a new way to employers or starting a new business.
Sarah and her team provide a very direct, down-to-earth and practical approach to careers and offer courses packed full of helpful and insightful career techniques. They can also offers you guidance about how to get back in touch with your spirit, passions, dreams, hopes and energy so that you have the courage to take the necessary career steps.
