If your employees either lack — or have lost — self-confidence then it is your job, as their employer, to help them build it up again.
There are many reasons that they may be struggling with confidence — perhaps their work has been criticised, they feel like they don’t get noticed within the team or aren’t progressing. Whatever the reason, ultimately, it can and probably will affect their day-to-day performance.
Firstly, you need to look out for the signs that they are lacking self-confidence — this can manifest itself in a variety of ways. Perhaps they are insecure or lack belief in themselves, maybe they don’t trust others or are overly sensitive.
Now you know there is an issue you need to work out, how are you going to help them? Because if you don’t it will get worse — and this won’t only affect them, it will have a detrimental effect on the company too.
1. Give them responsibility
If employees aren’t given responsibility it will be difficult to grow their confidence and easy for them to lose any confidence they already have. Your staff will quickly notice if this is the case, which will cause them to feel like they aren’t capable. Giving them responsibility will challenge them which is important for growth.
So, what are their strengths? Everyone has them and it is important to work out how you use these to help them grow and progress.
Make sure they have the support they need if required — while responsibility will help to grow their confidence, throwing them in the deep end and leaving them to feel like they are drowning could cause them to lose even more confidence.
2. Let them know when they are doing well
If your employees are doing well — tell them. If they are working hard and it is going unnoticed they will struggle to have confidence in what they are doing. By acknowledging they are doing well you are showing that you not only notice what they are doing, but appreciate it.
This could be done by actually saying to them that you are grateful for their hard work; or, to show that they aren’t empty words and you really mean it, reward them with a pay rise, bonus or promotion.
3. Hire a motivational speaker
If you have ever watched a motivational speaker either on Ted Talks, via YouTube or even in person — then you will know how inspiring they can be and how, through their words and story, they can increase the confidence of all who listen.
If your employees are lacking self-confidence then hearing others talk of how they overcome similar issues will help them to do the same, empowering them to make changes to reach their full potential.
It is also easier for an outsider, who doesn’t have a vested interest in the business, to come and speak to your team. If you are considering when to bring in a motivational speaker, then Monday is a good idea as it is the start of the week and a perfect opportunity for new beginnings.
4. Provide training opportunities
Low self-confidence can come from struggling with the role that you are in — particularly if it has changed or new processes have been implemented. Offering regular training can help your employees to grow and as they become more confident in their role they will have more confidence in themselves to do it to the best of their ability.
This might not only be training to help do their day-to-day job but also to expand their skill set, which in the long run will help them with progression.
5. Communication is key
An employee who is struggling alone and doesn’t feel like they have the opportunity to voice their concerns will never be able to overcome any issues they are having.
This is why it is so important to allow them the chance to regularly speak with you in private. During these meetings you should give them the chance to raise any issues and then talk through how they are going to deal with them. Don’t be critical — this isn’t going to build confidence — instead, offer them constructive feedback to help work on their weaknesses.
Now you know how to build self-confidence it is time to start implementing a few changes to do so — particularly for those members of your team who are currently struggling.
