Harvard Business Review - Confidence

Very few people succeed in business without a degree of confidence. Yet everyone, from young people in their first real jobs to seasoned leaders in the upper ranks of organizations, have momentsor days, months, or even yearswhen they are unsure of their ability to tackle challenges. No one is immune to these bouts of insecurity at work, but they dont have to hold you back.

Confidence equals security equals positive emotion equals better performance, says Tony Schwartz, the president and CEO of The Energy Project and the author of Be Excellent at Anything: The Four Keys to Transforming the Way We Work and Live. And yet he concedes that insecurity plagues consciously or subconsciously every human being Ive met. Over-coming this self-doubt starts with honestly assessing your abilities (and your shortcomings) and then getting comfortable enough to capitalize on (and correct) them, adds Deborah H. Gruenfeld, the Moghadam Family Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior and Codirector of the Executive Program for Women Leaders at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Heres how to do that and get into the virtuous cycle that Schwartz describes.

Your piano teacher was right: Practice does make perfect. The best way to build confidence in a given area is to invest energy in it and work hard at it, says Schwartz. Many people give up when they think theyre not good at a particular job or task, assuming the exertion is fruitless. But Schwartz argues that deliberate practice will almost always trump natural aptitude. If you are unsure about your ability to do somethingspeak in front of a large audience, negotiate with a tough customerstart by trying out the skills in a safe setting. Practice can be very useful and is highly recommended because, in addition to building confidence, it also tends to improve quality. Actually deliver the big presentation more than once before the due date. Do a dry run before opening a new store, says Gruenfeld. Even people who are confident in their abilities can become more so with better preparation.

Confident people arent only willing to practice, theyre also willing to acknowledge that they dontand cantknow everything. Its better to know when you need help than not, says Gruenfeld. A certain degree of confidencespecifically, confidence in your ability to learnis required to be willing to admit that you need guidance or support.

On the flip side, dont let modesty hold you back. People often get too wrapped up in what others will think to focus on what they have to offer, says Katie Orenstein, founder and director of The OpEd Project, a nonprofit that empowers women to influence public policy by submitting opinion pieces to newspapers. When you realize your value to others, confidence is no longer about self-promotion, she explains. In fact, confidence is no longer the right word. Its about purpose. Instead of agonizing about what others might think of you or your work, concentrate on the unique perspective you bring.