How to Overcome Self-Doubt at Work
Strategies for Building Confidence
Happy Friday Peeps!
Throughout my career, I have often found myself questioning my skills and abilities.
Sure…positive feedback from colleagues and managers helps but self-doubt can easily become a persistent naysayer in our heads.
It is, however a common experience and that is something we all should recognise. Self-doubt is something that many, if not most, people face, regardless of their experience level or achievements.
This week, I’ll go over how I try to get over self-doubt.
Here goes……
Acknowledging How Far I’ve Come
A while back, I was asked to lead a proposal effort for a client that I had literally no idea of. I didn’t know anything about the industry the client operated within or what they were looking for. In a nutshell, I had no idea what approach I was going to take and that gave me the jitters.
My Manager saw that I was panicking and he sat me down. He asked me to go for a short walk and think about all the times I had been asked to take up something I had no clue about. He wanted me to reflect on the times when I had succeeded in delivering.
This reminded me that well…..I had done quite a bit and not only had I survived, I had managed to exceed expectations on several of those occasions. That thought calmed me down and I felt relieved to realise that I was very much capable of taking on new projects.
I guess the lesson is…when in doubt, talk to people who believe in you and….take a walk down memory lane :)!
Setting Realistic Goals
When it comes to managing my self-doubt, setting realistic goals has been crucial for me. If you’ve been following my Substack, you would know that I am a huge fan of breaking projects down into smaller tasks. Essentially, that is my secret weapon when working on projects.
The idea is to focus on one step at a time. That makes the overall workload feel less daunting. Each completed task or milestone met can, then, effectively become a confidence booster rather than a giant pile of to-dos.
Mistakes are Learning Opportunities
Mistakes aren’t failures and you may be sick of hearing how mistakes are learning opportunities but, well, that’s because it’s true. It’s one thing to read this as a motivational quote but embracing this mindset can be transformative.
Instead of dwelling on errors, analysing what went wrong and how it could potentially be avoided in the future is the way to go. I find this proactive approach empowering and it allows me to take on new challenges without much hesitation.
I once reported to a guy who made it a point to pinch others by bringing up their mistakes again and again. Not surprisingly, I was often the target as well. I consider myself lucky that I don’t report to such a person anymore. That experience was a blot in the name of professional/personal growth and if you find yourself in such a situation, I hope you find a way out.
Practicing Self-Compassion
Self-compassion is essential. We need to remind ourselves repeatedly that we aren’t perfect and that it’s natural to feel self-doubt. In fact, it’s a natural part of professional growth and development.
Work can be tough at times and it can take it’s toll. Regular readers would know how important I believe it is to be kind to myself. It’s crucial to maintaining a positive outlook.
The world doesn’t depend on what I do. Even if I don’t meet some project deadline, yeah….I might get a bad review but it won’t be the end of the world.
It’s still an on-going journey though and self-doubt springs up every now and then for me. I've been able to build my confidence to some extent and navigate my professional life with greater assurance somehow.
While self-doubt may never completely disappear, these strategies have equipped me to handle it more effectively and continue moving forward.
Loved this Naush!
My latest podcast guests talks about imposter syndrome - and actually I have 2 more episodes to go live with people who are experts on the topic too - it must be a sign of the times. Anyway, he suggests that imposter syndrome isn't 'real', it's simply part of the human condition of awareness, acknowledgment and therefore a learning opportunity. I think you've demonstrated exactly that: you can't know everything in the world, you can feel nervous about doing something you've never done before, and you can give yourself a learning framework (with help from a friend) to capitalise on the new opportunity!
A topic that haunts us all! The points you make are great- self compassion, setting realistic goals and knowing that even if you make a mistake, the world doesn't stop. I like to add that as long as you do the pre-work need and truly give your best, you can't have regrets because you focus on what you can control vs what you can't control (the outcome-which can be tied to other people's opinions, moods, etc).