Fiji Sun

HOW TO BE CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO GET THAT PROMOTION

If you feel you are lacking self confidence then you are not alone.

During my time as a leadership coach I’ve been fascinated by the number of very successful people who are burdened with self doubt. It’s not something that people like to admit but self doubt and a lack of confidence impacts our lives in very significan­t ways.

Promotions are missed because people didn’t think they were good enough for the job, business opportunit­ies pass people by because they felt it was too much of a gamble.

One of the saddest things in this world is the fact that so many people live a life that is far less than they are capable of and it’s done because of a lack of confidence. In this article I will explain how you can become more confident at work and at home.

If the job you want requires you to work hard, come to work early, dress better than you do now then don’t wait.

Self doubt is a self defence mechanism

The reason why self doubt exists is because it’s the mind’s way of protecting you. A lack of confidence lowers a person’s expectatio­ns and when someone has low expectatio­ns then it’s far more difficult to be disappoint­ed.

As an example, if a promotion opportunit­y comes up at work and you are not very confident about getting that role, then when you don’t you won’t feel too disappoint­ed because you knew you wouldn’t get it.

Self doubt exist to keep you safe from getting hurt but it doesn’t exist to make you great. Greatness is a choice you make.

If you want to achieve anything in this life, then you need to make the conscious decision to become brave and put self doubt to one side and here’s how.

Have a clear vision of success

If you want to be successful, then you need to have a clear vision of what that success looks like.

If you are in business, then don’t fall into the trap of having numbers as your goals. I know a lot of people do this but numbers don’t inspire people. Images inspire people. There are many famous art galleries around the world for a reason. Numbers and figures are fine but you need to focus on what those numbers give you, so instead of focussing on a 10 per cent increase in sales, focus on describing how the business would look when you achieved that 10 per cent increase.

Become the person you want to be

The key to being more confident is to visualise what a more confident version of you would be and then become that person.

While that may seem an over simplifica­tion it does actually work. A common complaint I hear from people who don’t get promotions is that their boss wasn’t willing to take a chance on them.

My response is why should they if you want a better job then you need to start acting as if you are ready for that job. It’s not enough to say you will change once you are in that job.

When you do that you are asking your boss to take a chance on you so why take that risk.

If the job you want requires you to work hard, come to work early, dress better than you do now, then don’t wait. If you become the best person for the job, then it’s not a risk to give you that job.

Face your fears until they no longer exist

Confidence is built on one step at a time and each step needs to be outside your comfort zone.

It’s easy to do what you are comfortabl­e doing but that also leads to a life filled with lost potential.

To be more confident, aim every week to do something that you feel uncomforta­ble doing.

It may be raising suggestion­s at a meeting, talking to someone new, delivering a talk in front of people whatever it may be and you will find that the more you reach your limitation­s the more your limitation­s will move with you.

What you may think is difficult now, you will think is easy in the future. Identify your fears and embrace them.

Take more opportunit­ies

The Chinese military general Sun Zu once wrote that “opportunit­ies multiply as they are seized.” Opportunit­ies to become more successful are waiting for you to seize, but many people allow them to pass them by.

I’ve had the honour of coaching many successful people and a common trait they possess is that they saw an opportunit­y and they seized it. Once they did, they found that many other opportunit­ies presented themselves in the future.

Don’t be a passenger if you want a promotion. Make sure your company is aware of your ambitions, look for ways you can add value, solve problems and make yourself indispensa­ble and become a driver. If you become the go-to-person, then you will find that not only will you become more confident but you won’t have to chase a promotion because the job you want will come to you.