Staying confident in a competitive workplace

Today’s workplaces can often be extremely competitive. This can be due to a number of factors including, but not limited to new incentives, increased demand from consumers, and rapid advancements in technology. But how can you remain confident amongst all this competitiveness? Below are some tips that may help.

Remain focused

A busy workplace can provide hundreds of distractions, especially if you work in an open-plan office. It can be tempting to share in the latest office gossip or to discuss the latest episode of your favorite television show with your colleagues. However, these distractions can be detrimental to your work and could cause you to fall behind and not perform as well as you should, knocking your confidence. Try to limit the number of necessary distractions by using earphones or earplugs or even put a sign on your desk, politely asking your colleagues to refrain from idle chatter with you if you are busy working. There is always time to catch up with them during your lunch hour.


Prioritize and organize

In today’s quick-paced workplace, there are often many things going on at once. Emails, memos, documents, projects, deadlines, meetings, and so much more that can often make you feel overwhelmed. Prioritization is key. Decide what needs to be done first and place everything else aside until that is complete. This will allow you to give whatever it is your full attention and will decrease the time spent worrying about where to start. You will likely feel more confident in the work you produce if you are sure that you have given each part the attention it deserves.

Know your job description

Make sure you know what is expected of you in your job. If you don’t know, ask. Arrange a time with your boss and sit down and discuss with them exactly what it is that your job entails, what your responsibilities are and when certain things are due. This will allow you to make decisions with confidence to produce quality work that you can be proud of.

Be assertive

Being assertive is extremely important in order to maintain your confidence. Trust your judgment and don’t remain silent if there are factors at work that are hindering your work performance. Being assertive does not mean complaining or being rude. If something is not right, you can respectfully speak to your colleague or boss and calmly yet firmly explain to them why there is a problem and what you feel could be done to resolve it in a manner that will benefit everyone. Not only will you feel learn to feel confident when doing this, but you will probably earn the respect of your co-workers.

Don’t sweat the small stuff

Don’t let small mistakes or errors get you down. Nobody is perfect and from time to time mistakes can happen, especially in a fast-paced work environment. If you find that you have made a mistake, own it, attempt to rectify it, learn from it, and move on. It does no good to dwell on what has happened and will only leave you feeling less confident about your abilities.


Don’t compare yourself to others

Different people have different strengths and weaknesses. Some are good communicators, others are great at organizational skills and some can grasp new concepts quicker than others. Whatever your strength is, use it and don’t worry if someone else is better in another area. It takes all kinds of people and skills to make up an effective workplace and you can contribute in your own way.