How can you get more confidence in the business world?
To help you gain more confidence in the business world, we asked HR professionals and business leaders this question for their best advice. From reading books to gaining experience out of your comfort zone there are several tips that may help you to ultimately gain the confidence you need.
Here are ten tips for gaining more confidence in the business world:
- Read Books
- Speak on Panels
- Develop Shorter and Smaller Goals
- Ensure Your Values Align With Your Company
- Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone
- Take a Closer Look and Quantify
- Interact Frequently With Your Clients
- Start Learning Other’s Stories
- Continuous Learning
- Confidence Comes From Experience
Read Books
Two words: read books! I wouldn’t say I am the most confident person when it comes to business terms and jargon, but listening to a variety of business books has helped me build the confidence needed to have intelligent conversations with a variety of small business owners. I recently read The Lean Startup by Eric Reis, which helped me understand the process of startup culture and opened my eyes to a new way of handling business through his methods.
Kayla Centeno, Markitors
Speak on Panels
The best way to gain more confidence in the business world is to put yourself out there! Consider speaking on panels or contributing to online blogs. Oftentimes, the feedback you receive from your peers and event-goers will naturally increase your confidence.
Brad Sacks, More Than Gourmet
Develop Shorter and Smaller Goals
Think of driving an RV. For the average driver, the thought of getting behind the wheel of a larger, bus-style RV can be daunting. But, if the RV is shorter and smaller with user-friendly features, then maneuvering them becomes much easier. The same way you get confidence behind the wheel can be applied to gaining confidence in the business world. Set shorter, smaller goals to provide yourself with the comfort and confidence that you can handle anything that comes your way.
Randall Smalley, Cruise America
Ensure Your Values Align With Your Company
When you attach yourself to a higher purpose, promoting yourself and your work becomes much less about you and what people think of you and much more about how many people you are helping. To be more confident in business, work for a company that stands for something you believe in and are passionate about! It is easy to be confident in the business world when you are serving a larger purpose.
Kenna Hamm, Texas Adoption Center
Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone
The best way to build confidence is to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Go for that interview that scares you. Approach your boss about the raise you’ve been working towards. Say yes to the things that may intimidate you but will help you grow. The more often you confront fear and doubt, the less often it will be an issue.
Anna Dooley, Side by Side
Take a Closer Look and Quantify
Gaining confidence in the business world has a lot to do with overcoming the fear of not delivering or adhering to certain standards. Quite often, it results from not seeing problems in high resolution and associating their complexity with overwhelming concerns. Taking a closer look and quantifying certain business challenges helps to regain confidence. Once you know the volume of work needed, the required expertise, and how much time and cost will it incur; the fear is replaced by a research and ROI calculation.
Michael Sena, Senacea
Interact Frequently With Your Clients
A true professional gains more confidence with each and every interaction with their clients. I learn on a daily basis from my customer base, which helps me build the confidence that can only come from being well-informed. When I know what consumers think and feel about my products, then I become more confident that I’m offering them exactly what will make them lifelong customers.
Travis Killian, Everlasting Comfort
Start Learning Other’s Stories
The business world can be scary to those on the outside, but really, it is full of people like you and me, just trying to do their absolute best in their job. People get so nervous to start a corporate job due to imposter syndrome, thinking that to make it in business, you have to be a cold-blooded tyrant, only looking to climb the ladder. To get more confidence in the business world, start talking to people and learning their story. You might be surprised to find out how much you have in common with a senior director or that the big, scary CEO is a dad of 5 girls. The more you get to know the people in the business world, the more confident you will become.
Chris Dunkin, Portable Air
Continuous Learning
I have found that the best way to gain confidence in the business world is to constantly be learning about it. There are so many resources at our fingertips; podcasts, books, documentaries, online articles, magazines, and entire websites dedicated to educating people about different facets of business. If your lack of confidence stems from a lack of knowledge or education, use the resources at hand to learn all that you can until you feel confident!
Jon Schneider, Recruiterie
Confidence Comes From Experience
The more appliances you repair, the more confidence you will gain. Confidence comes from experiences. The key is creating enough opportunities to give you the experience. Sometimes that means taking on jobs outside of your service area or accepting jobs that are below your minimum project. But, with more opportunities comes more experience. And with more experience comes more confidence in both your abilities and your business.
Alex Belladorsi, Appliance Technician