Success in any business endeavor can be elusive for professionals lacking the self-confidence needed to capitalize opportunities in front of them.
Stepping outside of your comfort zone is absolutely essential for long-term success and respect within your industry. As a business owner your confidence is necessary to close deals. Don’t believe it? Imaging walking into a car dealership and speaking to a sales associate who is unsure about the details of the car you’re considering purchasing. If the associate can’t confidently showcase the product to you, how can you ever be convinced to buy the car?
A research group from Melbourne University conducted a study examining career success of a group of diverse professionals. The research group examined professionals from Melbourne, New York and Toronto, concluding that confidence and self-esteem are key factors that are correlated to an individual's success. The study also found looks played a role in one’s confidence, lead researcher Dr. Reza Hasmath said: “We now know it’s actually higher confidence levels — which may be a byproduct of attractiveness and height — which make all the difference.” So while more attractive individuals feel confident due to social acceptance, for the rest of us, who don’t look like top models, it’s important to know we indeed can build our own confidence, here’s how.
Confidence is attainable. Building it requires adapting the key habits of successful professionals.
- Have a solid plan: With an informed strategy you will know when to act on opportunities, but also when to deviate from the plan.
- Shun discouragement: Obstacles are essential to entrepreneurship. Make a pact with yourself to approach them as learning opportunities. Don’t give up!
- Set achievable goals: Success doesn’t mean perfection. Success is built one step at a time. It’s those early achievements that will be your foundation for continued success.
- Take care of yourself: A healthy diet, exercise and adequate sleep will help you make the most of your day by keeping you focused. When you feel good it’ll reflect in your performance.
- Do your homework: Research supports great decision making. Professional confidence means having a firm grasp on the ins and outs of your industry, which will also help you develop a great strategy.
- Build business knowledge and skills: Knowledge gaps in your industry can lead to self-doubt, so work diligently on acquiring all of the skills pertinent to your profession.
- Know your customers: Stay up to date with customer trends through publications and surveys to gain a solid grasp of your market. Understanding your audience will immensely help you speak to their questions, needs and concerns.
- Learn your marketplace: Analyze your standing in the industry to understand where you are now, and where you should go next.
- Develop communication skills: Listen carefully and don’t be afraid to be yourself. This will help you develop your own assertive voice.
- Celebrate your wins: Reward yourself to reinforce the positive habits that lead to enhanced confidence. Also, avoid putting yourself under too much stress.
- Build your own network: Surrounding yourself with supportive people such as friends, family and successful colleagues. This will create a safety net of reliable connections.
- Quickly move on from your mistakes and poor decisions: Learn from your past mistakes. Moving on from your errors will help you avoid being discouraged.
- Network assertively: Develop a strong business network to create opportunities and strengthen your self-confidence.
- Listen to success stories: Learning from precedents will help you avoid the mistakes of others and mimic their successful habits.
- Knowledge is power: Evolve with the industry by staying up to date with new technology and methodology through books, classes and conversations with your contemporaries.
- Watch your self-talk: It's perfectly okay to talk to yourself to motivate and encourage yourself. Validate your worth and abilities by developing a way to interpret the business world around you.
- Learn to say no: Stress and depression often accompany passivity, which can hurt your confidence.
- Dress for success: Your outward appearance is your first form of communication in a professional setting.
- Embrace customer testimonials: Encourage feedback from your clientele to affirm the effectiveness of your business strategy.
- Small victories: Pay attention to your mini accomplishments. You don’t always have to wait for your biggest accomplishment to give yourself credit and celebrate.
If your lack of confidence is hurting you professionally, then adopting these habits is just what your career needs. Confidence is attainable through practice and application, once you are able to assess your areas of improvement, try them out! By knowing where you need to improve you can effectively eliminate bad habits and emphasize good ones.
If you’re interested to see if you have business acumen, try our ourbusiness personality quiz.
