Five Strategies to Boost Your Confidence When Operating Outside Your Comfort Zone

Five strategies

When you are given an opportunity to shine at work do you get excited and begin to think how you can hit it out of the park or, do you get a bit nervous and begin to second-guess your abilities to succeed?

How you view what is in front of you impacts the results you get and how others see you.

You may not even be aware of the backstory you are telling yourself that can undermine your confidence and the impression you create. Your backstory can change the quality of the game you play.

A participant, I’ll refer to as Clara, at a recent Develop Your Personal Brand Power training session shared she had been told on more than one occasion that she needs to be more confident. This took Clara by surprise because in her mind she was confident.

THE STORY YOU TELL

To confirm her confidence and how she is seen as confident, Clara shared that she is sought out to present regularly to very senior leaders within her organization.

Then it happened! Clara was highlighting the opportunities she had to present to these senior leaders but emphasized how it was not typical for someone in her position to be presenting to them. Her energy shifted and the self-doubt crept into her voice.

Her backstory, the story running behind the headliner of being excited to get face time with this group of leaders kicked in; her body language changed and she was no longer making direct eye contact.

The conversation shifted from being honoured to do this, to who am I to do this. She went from being a self-assured leader to questioning why someone in her role would be presenting to such a senior group. She was intimidated by the titles around the table and began questioning herself. She didn’t even notice the story that was running in the background.

“Let who you are and the experience you create for others tell your story. Your personal brand is not dictated by your title.”

Clara was the person this group of senior leaders needed to hear from, not only because she knew her stuff but because she had the courage to deliver the whole message, the good and the part that was not easy to hear. But instead of reminding herself of all the reasons she was asked to present, she unconsciously was creating a story that was eroding her confidence.

CHECK-IN STRATEGIES

Uncertainty starts as a thought and shows up in your body language, the words you use, your tone of voice and how you deliver your message. Here are five strategies to show up more grounded, centered and confident.

#1 Focus on the reasons you have been chosen and celebrate that you have exceeded the typical standards.  A title is not a pre-requisite for what you are able to contribute.

#2 Review your personal brand model to step into your presentation being clear about who you are and the impression you want to leave with your audience.

#3 See senior leaders as people, not titles. They are like you with more experience.

#4 Be prepared so you can focus on delivering the message your audience needs to hear instead of worrying about what you want to say.

#5 Cultivate high energy and a positive attitude. You need to believe you’re in the right place to reassure others why you are there.

YOUR MOVE

You are the author of your story. Make sure you are doing the writing and not allowing your old programming to take over. Begin your day focused on what you want to create and end your days with appreciating what you did well and accomplished. It will reinforce you seeing yourself in a more positive light.

 

Align yourself with what matters most to you. Live your brand fully expressed with intention and purpose to play bigger!

 

Are you interested in having a conversation to explore how you can define your personal brand and accelerate your growth as a leader, individually or as a team? Send an e-mail to book a complimentary 30-minute consultation.

 

Dorothy Lazovik

Dorothy is on a mission to shift the culture of organizations to people first! Supporting leaders in fulfilling their TO BE LIST to better deliver on their TO DO LIST. Doing the work impacts how leaders see themselves, the people they lead, the environment they create and the outcomes they achieve. Producing higher engagement, ownership and productivity. How would making a change like this elevate your business results?

Authentic Leaders Edge

Next Step

Ready to implement a model that elevates your leaders and has them taking ownership of who they are and the results they achieve? Interested in creating the environment that puts people first to increase engagement, build trust and improve how business gets done?

Let’s start a conversation. It will give you the opportunity to get your questions answered and understand if it is a good fit for you, your leaders or organization.