How to Be a Confident Career Woman?

Have you ever struggled in Corporate setting to be heard because you lacked the confidence to be assertive?

Were you or your input just ignored or sniggered at because you couldn’t present it a ‘confident’ manner?

Confidence is not a perfume that you spray on but it is essential for you & your success as soon as you walk out of your house. If you want to learn ways to be more confident in your career read on. (though wearing a Fragrance will make you happy).

Are you like me an introvert who wants to be successful but being a ‘woman’ are not that aggressive. If answer to any of those questions was truthfully ‘yes’ then you are at the right place.

This blog is going to talk about confidence, importance of confidence especially in a career woman, examples of highly successful confident business women, and ways to build confidence.

What is Confidence in a business woman?

Confidence is

a feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities.

Oxford Dictionary

That sounds too simple! Because all kinds of factors influence us and make us either confident, over confident or lack confidence.

Have you ever attended a meeting & where some colleagues (men & women)seem to know all, project confidence about different topics.

Most of the time they actually have no idea about the topic on hand but they end up impressing the meeting because of the way the speak & their body language.

These traits are important especially if you want to be successful in your corporate job or as a CEO of your own company!

A truly confident person is usually quiet and unassuming. The old saying ’empty vessels make more noise’ still holds true. Someone who possesses quiet confidence doesn’t talk over people.

4. Confidence Building Quotes For career Women

I want to share some of my favorite quotes that I have written in my journal when I am having one of those days!

Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence.

Vince Lombardi

“A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it. It just blooms.”

Zen Shin

“Be an Encourager: When you encourage others, you boost their self-esteem, enhance their self-confidence, make them work harder, lift their spirits and make them successful in their endeavors. Encouragement goes straight to the heart and is always available. Be an encourager. Always.”

Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“You have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving yourself and see what happens.”

Louise Hay

Confident Women in Business

There are many women in business who can be a your role model if you were looking for one. I am going to mention the ones that I aspire to.

1. Mel Robbins. I was blown away by her story which I stumbled upon today as I was by myself while my better half Matthew Heines attended the Bigfoot Festival at Metaline Falls today. At 41 her life was a mess but she turned it around.
2. Sara Blakely. SPANX founder Sara Blakely was getting ready for a party when she realized she didn’t have the right undergarment to provide a smooth look under white pants & the rest is history.
3. Erin Ozmen. Eren Ozmen is chairwoman, president and majority owner of private aerospace and defense company Sierra Nevada Corporation.
4. Paula Fellingham. Paula Fellingham is the Founder and CEO of the Women’s Information Network (WIN), an educational and social network for women, and a global community of women.
5. Suzi Whitford. An engineer turned stay at home mom to three little ones! She has been creating websites since 2009. What started as a little hobby blog turned into a life changing decision.

Ways to Exude Confidence in your Career

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• Practice good posture. Whether seated or standing, hold your shoulders back and chest high. Maintaining eye contact is key to building trust and showing confidence.

• While a Harvard Business School professor and researcher in 2012 and thereafter in 2018, Amy Cuddy published a study indicating that how we hold our bodies impacts our minds. Her TED Talk on the subject has been viewed more than 42 million times.

• How you dress – your outfit. For better or for worse, the clothes we wear makes people perceive us.For example I always dress formally at work & most customers that walk in mistake me for the Manager of the Branch. If we want to feel confident and to be perceived as being confident, we need to dress the part. Prepare your look in advance, polish shoes/earrings/nails if necessary, and demonstrate poise in your demeanor.

• How You Sound – Your Voice. Coming off as confident or meek on a call has everything to do with your vocal delivery.  If you are confident in your material, your opinions, and yourself, you will speak up and be heard. Slow down your speech. Exhibit confidence in yourself by taking adequate time to get your point across.

How to Build Self-Confidence in any Career ?

Here are my tips on building self-confidence. It’s a skill that can be learned & mastered and I am an example of that.

If I can do it so can you only you have to put your mind to it.

• Commitment To Personal Growth. Exposure to topics both within and beyond the limits of one’s industry and profession can go a long way towards broadening one’s perspective and bringing forth creative solutions to problems. A business woman who is well-versed on a variety of approaches can speak more confidently in advocating her own opinions.

• Work with a mentor. If you’re ready to make some changes but downsizing or re-categorizing relationships feels overwhelming, seek guidance or support from a mentor or coach.

It can be done with compassion – for you and for others. Nowadays most successful people like to Mentor others. You can find them on one of your favorite social media like LinkedIn.

• Surround yourself with smart, positive women and men. If you’re ready to make some changes but downsizing or re-categorizing relationships feels overwhelming, seek guidance or support from a mentor or coach.

I love listening to Abraham Hicks, Mel Robbins and Zig Zagler.

• Beef up your skills by taking courses and seminars. There are many free courses online and on youtube that you can watch for free.

• Find a social cause and actively participate in it. Networking not only expands your space but also makes you visible which helps you to get more confidence. For example Veterans.

• Always be ready to tell a good story. Stories captivate and inspire us.

• Demonstrate inquisitiveness. That goes with being a good listener. The more you ask questions and let others speak the more confident you’ll appear.

• Ask for What You want. People get what they want because they ask for it – period.

Confident business women know that asking for what they want is the first step towards getting what they want.

So, pick up that phone and ask for an introduction- don’t be shy.

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• Learn to say No. Confident business women know that relationships are long-term and that trust is built over time.

Respect is earned when we stand our ground on topics that are important to us. When we know ourselves and the subject matter at hand, we know when it is necessary to push back and say ‘no’.

• Set Boundaries. If you don’t take care of yourself, it’s impossible to show up as your most confident self.

Researchers believe that one reason women are not promoted at the same levels men are is because of burnout. Women face high expectations in the home and at work (especially be having to be “always on” even after work hours).

• Admit Shortcomings. Knowing your shortcomings is enlightening; admitting your shortcomings is humbling and endearing. When you are honest about your areas of weakness, you stand to gain both trust and it helps to build confidence.

Get Confidence Boost for your Career

• Affirmations & Mindfulness that boost confidence.

When nothing is working for you then do a self-talk. You will notice a pattern here, the stories you consistently tell yourself about who you are and what you want to be. You’ve to believe in ‘yourself’ before others can believe in you, don’t you agree?

Perhaps you want to believe you are worthy of a promotion, but you have developed a habit of downsizing your dreams and settling for less more often than you recognize

If you allow limiting beliefs about who you are and what you are capable of to occupy your headspace, you will never reach your full potential.

So, switch the mental script. As President Trump says ‘dream big’!

No dream is too big. No challenge is too great. Nothing we want for our future is beyond our reach.

President Donald Trump

• Surround yourself with smart, positive and self-assured people

You have heard it said that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. Take stock of who you are texting, emailing, calling, and hanging out with.

If any one of the top five people on your list is a drain on your energy or positivity, consider that a 20% loss in productivity. Two people? 40%.

Confident business women value their time and, as such, place tremendous value on their energy. If a relationship is draining, it must be resolved or the time allocated for it drastically reduced.

• Expand your Circle

Confident business women know that their net worth is a reflection of their network. At business functions, they play the role of the hostess (whether they are or not), making others feel welcome and shoring up relationships.

A strong network is critical to elevating one’s position, successful career and business women derive confidence from their networks.

• Step outside your comfort zone to gain confidence.

Confident business and career women know that growth does not happen in a vacuum rather, confidence is earned by overcoming fears and pushing through uncertainty.

Confidence is not theoretical or academic confidence is the reward for taking risks. 

• Broaden your knowledge by taking Courses and Seminars

Exposure to topics both within and beyond the limits of one’s industry and profession can go a long way towards broadening one’s perspective and bringing forth creative solutions to problems.

A business woman who is well-versed on a variety of approaches can speak more confidently in advocating her own opinions. 

Confidence Coaching For Career Women

The above mentioned confidence building tools are free but if you are business owner who wants to improve the confidence level of your sales people especially women do drop me an email.

If you are struggling to get a new job & need a few tips do drop a line. I want to help women gain confidence and grow in their careers. Get in touch with me today.

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Conclusion

To conclude confidence is a skill that can be learned. In today’s world if you want to be successful you have to project confidence till you are truly confident.

Confident business women know that asking for what they want is the first step towards getting what they want.

So, you beautiful women out there if you want to gain confidence do subscribe and leave a comment.