You’ve probably heard it before: your self-esteem impacts every part of your life. The truth is, if you want to be successful at work, you need to feel confident in yourself and the value that you bring. Building self-esteem isn’t easy, but it is possible!
Ask for feedback
One of the best ways to build your self-esteem at work is to ask for feedback. Whether it’s from your boss or colleagues, asking for constructive criticism will help you improve yourself and grow as an individual.
Here are some tips on how to do this:
- Be direct and specific with what you want feedback on. For example, if you want feedback on a presentation you created last week, ask them what specifically about the presentation was good/bad/could be improved upon. You can also mention any specific areas where they might be able to provide more information if need be (for example: “I think I could have been more prepared if I had known the timing was going to change.”)
- Make sure that whatever information they provide is actually useful and don’t take it too personally! If someone says something about one aspect of your job performance (and not another), then focus on improving there rather than attempting any sweeping changes all at once that may not solve anything anyway.
Bring your “A” game to work
You’re the CEO of you. If you want to feel good about yourself and your work, then your best bet is to bring your “A” game to the office every day. Make it a point to be confident, a team player and proactive about solving problems.
Be a good communicator by listening well and understanding other people’s points of view. And if you ever have any issues at work that need resolving, don’t wait for someone else to solve them, take charge! A great way of doing this is by being proactive in taking on new challenges or responsibilities that increase what they offer in terms of skills development opportunities while also building self esteem at work. You can join The Assistant Room membership here for easy access to over £50k of online skill development resources for as little as £12.99.
Practice saying no
If you have too many demands on your time and don’t feel like you can say no, it’s time to start prioritising what’s important to you. It may be tempting to take on every request that comes, but the reality is that by saying yes all the time and then overextending yourself, you could end up feeling frustrated and worn out.
The next time someone asks something of you at work, think about how this will impact your day before committing yourself. Ask them if there’s another way they can get what they want done instead of asking for help from you directly (e.g., “I’d love to be able to help out with this project but I’m already swamped with my own deadlines; could we find someone else who might be available?”). If it still sounds like something worth doing or learning more about even after considering other options, then say yes! But if not, remember that saying no gives power back into the hands of others and allows yourself more time and energy while taking care of other things in life too!
Don’t compare
Stop comparing yourself to others. It’s a waste of time, and it only makes you feel bad about yourself. Instead, focus on your own goals and achievements. What are you doing in your daily life that will help you become the person you want to be? Some people like to set small goals, like drinking more water or taking a walk every day - and then reward themselves when they reach them. Others prefer bigger challenges; maybe they want to run a marathon or volunteer at an animal shelter once a week. Whatever works for you is fine! Just make sure the goal is something that makes sense for who you are now versus who you were five years ago, or even just five months ago!
Create a unique vision board just for work
The next step is to create a vision board for work. What does that mean? A vision board is simply a collage of things you want to achieve, or images that inspire you. It’s a physical representation of your ambitions and goals.
Why create one? To remind yourself why you’re working so hard at your job, so that when others are tempting you with lacklustre career opportunities and promotions, or making negative comments about your work ethic, it’s easier for you to stay focused on what matters most: achieving the results you want for yourself in this position.
How do you make one you ask? You can use an App like Pinterest or Trello where there are lots of free templates available online!
Create your own rules
One of the best ways to boost your self-esteem at work is to create rules for yourself. Setting boundaries is crucial, but it’s often easier said than done. You might feel like those around you will think less of you if you have a strict schedule or need time away from the office.
This doesn’t have to be true! In fact, creating and sticking to some rules can help improve other aspects of your life as well, such as your health and productivity levels. You might even find that setting boundaries for yourself makes it easier for others around you to respect them as well!
To help set up some basic rules for yourself here are some ways to get started:
- Think about how much time off is healthy for you each year (e.g., two weeks). Consider when those breaks should happen during the year (e.g., May-June). Then write down your personal holiday schedule so that no one else will book travel dates over yours without asking first!
- Next up: figure out how many hours per week are ideal for working at home vs working in an office space with other people (hint: this number may vary based on what type of job responsibilities exist in either scenario). Finally, map out which days would be good candidates for each scenario, so they don’t intersect awkwardly with one another too often throughout each month/year period span.
Be a leader and not a follower
Being a leader means not being afraid to speak up, take risks, ask for help and say no. If you want to be a leader at work, you need to be able to do all of these things. Asking for feedback is important because it shows that you’re willing to learn and improve yourself at work. It’s also important that you don’t always agree with everyone else in the office if they’re making bad decisions or not doing their jobs correctly. If your co-worker thinks something is wrong but doesn’t know how to fix it on their own then this could cause problems later down the road when he or she is working on something else!
Celebrate your successes!
Don’t be afraid to pat yourself on the back. When you achieve a goal, celebrate it with a small reward (for example, a new pen or coffee mug) or big reward (for example, a holiday). It’s important to constantly remind yourself of why you are working as hard as you are, so be generous towards yourself and be your own biggest cheerleader!
So building your self-esteem means:
If you want to build self-esteem at work, make sure that you’re going above and beyond what’s expected of you. Whether it’s asking for feedback from your boss or working on a side project that can benefit the company, there are many ways to do this. Just remember: if you keep trying new things, don’t compare yourself with others and celebrate every single win (even small ones like finishing an assignment on time) your self-esteem will soon shoot up and your new perspective will give you greater happiness in everything you do.
Article written by Jess Gardiner
Editor in Chief at The Assistant Room