To be successful, both in your personal life and your business life, one needs to have a healthy measure of self confidence. Whether you were born with full serving of self confidence or whether you need to work on it, there are several steps you can take to boost your self confidence and your self esteem, including:
Understand what your weaknesses are and then work to strengthen them. Do you have a hard time with follow-through? What can you to do address that? Can you set smaller, more attainable goals? Can you find an accountability partner?
What are your inherent strengths? Use those to your advantage and focus on those tasks at which you excel. In business you should concentrate on your core competencies and contract out those tasks which fall outside that realm.
Strengthen your weaknesses. Analyze and find the areas that should be improved, then make a daily effort to improve these weak points in an endeavor to make them assets rather than liabilities.
Always be learning. The more you know about your particular business niche the more you will excel in it. If new technologies are on the horizon, take a class, talk to an expert, be the early adapter. Be the go-to expert in your niche.
Attitude is everything. If you project confidence and a positive attitude, it just may manifest itself in all that you do. Adopt a winning attitude!
Remember, no one is perfect and rather than bury your flaws, embrace them and work to make changes to address them.
Even as a solopreneur there is a chance you will work with contractors and you may grow your business large enough that you will need to hire staff. When that time arises, as the business owner you may be asked to provide feedback to a team member on a project he or she is involved in. As with all communications, the words as well as the tone influence how the feedback is received and digested by the person to whom it’s offered.
How can you provide valuable feedback in such a way that it will be received and taken to heart by the person to whom you’re delivering it? Here are five ways I’ve found that have worked in my organization:
Provide feedback in a positive way. You obviously want your team member and the project to be a success so make certain the message you deliver provides a positive intent.
Choose a time for the feedback when the receiver will be receptive to it. Friday at 5 pm or in the midst of a time-crunched task is not the time to offer feedback.
Begin your feedback with an “I” statement rather than a “you” statement. “I’d like to discuss how the project is moving forward” rather than “Your contribution to the project…” Using “you” can put the receiver on the defensive.
Make certain your tone and your body language is supportive. Speak softly, don’t stand with your arms folded or your hands on your hips.
Leave an opening for the receiver to respond and listen thoughtfully to his/her concerns.
Successful outcomes in all conversations can be had with a little planning and forethought.
Do you control your time and your to-do list or does it control you? If you either don’t know the answer to that question or if you answered that you are controlled by your to-dos, here are some steps you can take to rein it in and regain control.
Make a master to-do list. Chances are you have projects that are long term but if you don’t get them written down, they will subconsciously niggle away at your energy. Write them down and give them a deadline.
Set your priorities. What do you truly need to do today? What can be moved until tomorrow? What projects will take a lot of effort and you know you should start chipping away at them little by little? Write them down.
Do you have a set work schedule? Do you have projects that are recurring? Make a list of all nonnegotiable items and their deadlines. If you know you have a standing meeting at 10 am every Monday, map your workday around that.
Don’t add in so many to-dos that there is no way you could possibly complete them. It is a great feeling to check items off a to-do list but it can deplete your energy if you have so many items that you leave the office at the end of every day with more unchecked items than checked off items.
Set long term goals. Everyone has a long term goal, an item on his or her to-do list that can be moved around and planned for as a long range item. Remember, it’s easier to eat an elephant one bite at a time rather than all in one sitting.
Are you, and is your business, the same as the one down the street? Do you essentially offer the same goods and services? Chances are, if you are both selling widgets, you will need to find a differentiator. What could you do that will set you apart from the competition? Be a Go-To Leader. How do you do that? Through careful positioning and targeting your audience and increasing your network.
Here are some steps I’ve taken to be a thought leader in my industry:
You need to be visible. If your face isn’t seen at networking and industry events how will people know that you are the Go-To person? Your “face” should also be visible in your social media interactions as well.
Are you an expert? How do you let people know that? Write/blog about it. Speak about it at networking events.
Relationship building is key. True Go-To leaders have many connections — valuable connections, not simply numbers on a Twitter feed. Get out of your office, meet people face to face and expand your network.
Share your knowledge. Being stingy with what you know doesn’t make you a Go-To leader. If you don’t share, how will others come to see you as the Go-To? They won’t.
What can you do to set yourself apart and become the Go-To leader in your industry?
While it may not be a proven fact that optimists win, that attitude certainly can’t hurt your chances at success, can it? Consider that individuals who are optimistic are viewed as being more confident — confident about project outcomes, the future, the task in which they are currently involved. Optimism can very well give you the mindset of one who will succeed versus one who will fail. As a business owner, success is your ultimate goal, right?
Whether you lead an entire organization or an organization of one, you can magnify your results by holding the magnifying glass over the best of all circumstance and building on that.
Here are three ways in which you can hone your optimistic skills:
Acknowledge that YOU are the sole source of the results that occur. All situations that you encounter on a daily basis have the opportunity to shape you, and ultimately your project outcome. You need to actively manage both your attitude and outlook as well as motivating those with whom you work.
Focus on the best in those with whom you work and interact. If you walk into a situation expecting the best, that attitude will spill over onto those around you. Even if you miss a goal, take it in stride, look back at what went wrong and adjust your course.
Talk about your successes. If you hand out, or receive performance reviews, it is the best time to shine a spotlight on what you’ve done well, and look into what you may need to improve upon.
If you feel you’re not an optimist, never fear, it is a trait that can be learned and honed.
According to Tim Ferriss, author of the “The 4-Hour Workweek”: 80% of one’s productivity comes from 20% of one’s efforts and likewise 80% of your wasted time comes from 20% of the possible causes.” Do you agree?
Did you know there are steps you can take to address your “20%”:
Has your support system grown? Are you in the same place you’ve always been, networking with the same people you always have? Look at stepping outside your comfort zone and the same circle of networking events and expand your horizons – your business will thank you!
When it comes to technology, are you keeping up with the times? Working with outdated or outmoded technologies can sap your energy. Conversely, being too connected can also drain your energy. You need to work with up-to-date technologies but you also need to know when to “turn off and step away.”
Physical health has a bearing on your mental health and your productivity. It’s not healthy to simply sit in front of a computer working all day. You need to get up – stand up and move around every hour for five minutes. Eat your lunch away from the screen, truly enjoy what you’re eating. Take time to visit friends and family and discuss items that are not related to business.
What can you to do increase your energy and deplete your energy sappers?
