CAREER TIPS - Managers, Here Are 3 Ways To Build Up An Employee Struggling With Confidence
Posted 22nd June 2021 • Written by Heidi Lynne Kurter on www.forbes.com • • • • •
Everyone, regardless of age, gender, experience or background, experiences a lack of confidence in at least one area of their lives. While managers have a responsibility to support, empower and develop their employees, they face a limitation when it comes to building up employee’s confidence.
Here are a few examples of how employees struggle with confidence in the workplace:
- Baby boomers fear new technology and the new landscape of the workplace causing a decline in self-esteem
- Those bullied in previous positions may suffer from PTSD that’s carrying over into their new position
- New hires or recent graduates base their worth on being able to prove themselves to their more tenured colleagues
- An employee who has been micromanaged or poorly managed struggles to see the value in their work
It’s crucial for management to form a strong partnership with human resources so they can learn more about how to support the employee with support and resources. Additionally, they can confidently share the company’s Employee Assistance Program as well as insurance offerings such as mental health programs that can best assist the employee.
Here are three ways managers can build up an employee’s self confidence.
Celebrate Milestones, Recognize Good Work And Acknowledge Strengths
Employees who lack self-confidence fail to see how valuable their abilities and contributions are to the company. This is due to them being overly self-critical and underestimating their own value. By acknowledging strengths, managers can bring more awareness to things employees might not have recognized about themselves.
Research shows that employees who feel valued and appreciated perform better which leads to improved job satisfaction and loyalty.
It’s vital for managers to take the time to understand how their employees want to be recognized. While many appreciate public recognition, some prefer theirs to be private.
Make Goals Challenging Yet Achievable
Managers can build employee confidence by assigning employees tasks or projects that challenge them. It’s vitally important that these projects are challenging yet achievable, otherwise, managers are setting their employee up for failure. To prevent overwhelm, managers should work with the employee to break down the larger task into smaller, actionable steps. Managers need to then give the employee the opportunity to figure out how to complete the tasks and create a safe space where they can make mistakes while still giving them the support they need.
Managers should also be diligent in recognizing and developing an employee’s leadership skills. This can be done by putting them into a mentorship role where they mentor another employee.
Not only does this give them a sense of purpose but by teaching someone else how to do a job and watching them excel but it helps build their confidence.
Reshape Setbacks Into Growth Opportunities
More often than not, employees resist trying new things because they fear making mistakes. This is because the workplace has created an environment where employees lose their jobs for making mistakes. This fear creates a lack of confidence in the employee as they’re not pushing outside of their comfort zone, taking risks, thinking creatively and achieving their potential.
By reshaping setbacks and providing constructive feedback along with open-ended, questions to challenge their limiting thoughts, managers can help employee’s find the learning opportunity in their mistake. Continuous coaching will help employees recognize their own strengths, sharpen their skills and have the confidence to find solutions rather than let their mistakes cripple them. The more equipped they are to handle more challenging tasks as well as setbacks, the more confident they’ll feel about themselves.
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