As we seek to achieve our goals and climb the ladder of success in our jobs and in our businesses we can easily be caught up in searching for the “magic formula” – the secret to success.
Does it exist? Possibly. However, there is a better, and more realistic approach to growing your career – the CORE Principle, a recipe for generating success that relies on YOU.
It involves four key principles that, when understood and applied correctly and consistently, create a platform for achievement, and ultimate success.
Confidence:
Confidence is the driving force behind performance. Increased confidence leads to increased success, which increases confidence, then success, and so on … a cyclic effect. An individual lacking in confidence may see success at work as the result of “luck” rather than skill/ability. In so doing, they are more at risk of experiencing feelings of being over-whelmed, stressed, poorly focused, lacking concentration and even fearing failure.
The more confidence you have in your abilities – and yourself – the more likely you will execute a strong performance … all the time.
Individuals who are consistently “on the mark” focus on the present moment. They trust their abilities, and don’t allow mistakes to impede their performance. They are leveraging their self-confidence to capture and engage the power of their beliefs, attitudes and thoughts about their ability to create a consistently strong performance at work.
Overcoming roadblocks:
Confidence can be a very fragile thing. It is often built up or broken down purely as a result of the “signals” being sent from others – fellow employees, team mates, management and even clients.
To grow and maintain confidence, roadblocks must be overcome to move forward.
Consider the following examples of common roadblocks that we can all face at one point or another in our work environment.
- High expectations – “All or nothing” mentality – if expectations are set at an unrealistically high level it can be a recipe for failure.
- Self-doubt – Having “butterflies” prior to engaging your team in a new proposal– letting it grow to indecision can be detrimental to a good and solid outcome.
- Listening to others – Being confronted with negativity from the team leader or fellow team members can greatly impact on self-confidence.
- Not believing you can do it – Wondering why you might not be the “right person for the job” has an obvious end result.
- Negative past experiences – Utilising past negative experiences to influence present challenges often leads to failure in focusing on a task.
- Perfectionism – Failure to accomplish “perfectionist expectations” creates doubt in place of belief, leading to negative “self-talk”.
Resolution:
Individuals who experience confidence-related issues at work are not necessarily destined for failure.
Consider the following:
- Believe in your ability – Believing and trusting yourself to “do the job at hand” will lessen the potential for tension and resultant mistakes.
- Seek positive people – Those who associate with people who demonstrate positive beliefs can find they are more likely to be (strongly) supported rather than belittled.
- Success breeds success – Surround yourself with people who are successful. Discover what they do well, and how they do it; learn from how they handle mistakes.
- Quality instruction – Find a mentor who understands the importance of physical skills, but also helps you build mental toughness.
Engagement:
The first step to greater confidence starts with keeping a journal of the times you think confidently as opposed to doubting your ability. Identifying when/how the confident versus doubting thoughts occur can serve toward developing a plan of action to move forward.
Next, keep a journal of what you have done well in the past in both your work and personal lives. This can reinforce the belief that you do have the skills to perform well, and build trust that your abilities will lead to improved performance.
Your confidence can be greatly improved though positive self-talk.
If you need to build your personal confidence, one of the hardest skills to grow and maintain, practice saying the following to yourself each day:
- I have earned the right to perform my role with confidence.
- I use errors/mistakes as opportunities to grow.
- I will keep my composure even when a mistake is made.
- I am in control of my thoughts, beliefs and abilities.
- No-one else can control how I perform my duties and responsibilities.
Be proactive … accept responsibility for your own thoughts and beliefs.
Remember, success builds confidence, confidence leads to success, and … yes, it really is a cycle. Successful people never just “happen”. They are the product of their own determination, self-belief and drive.
We can all do the same. There is no “magic formula” – just focused and committed effort with the will to succeed.
