Building Self Esteem at Work
As a leader, you’ll know that confidence in yourself and your abilities is absolutely essential to the success of your business. It’s a common misconception that CEOs, business owners and other high-ranking individuals always have a high self-esteem, otherwise how would they be where they are today? In fact, many neglect to prioritize their own wellbeing and self-esteem often resulting in complete mental exhaustion or burn out.
At EZRA, we believe that developing your self-esteem will help you become a better leader. It will help you feel the motivation to push your team and business to deliver their absolute best. Here are a few exercises you can work on personally to help you believe in yourself and your ability as a leader.
Self esteem building activities
1. Set goals
Setting realistic goals that are both achievable and suitably challenging can result in a positive self-image when you and/or your organisation achieves them. Breaking down ambitious goals, like profit aspirations, into smaller manageable milestones can improve the likelihood of reaching them while also improving confidence along the way. Additionally, endeavor to acknowledge and reward achievements, both in yourself and your employees.
2. Continuous development
The journey of personal development should never end; there is always room for growth and continuous improvement as a leader. Engaging in activities like attending seminars/webinars, listening to insightful podcasts and organising discussion-based meetings are all great ways to stay in a growth mindset. By prioritising your own personal development, you’re ensuring you stay at the top of your game, allowing you to make informed decisions, enhance your skills, network more effectively and improve your confidence.
3. Positive affirmations
Positive affirmations are a relatively contemporary strategy aimed at promoting your mental wellbeing. It involves challenging negative perceptions of yourself with positive phrases, and therefore reframing a pessimistic mindset. Try some of these examples over a period of time:
I am an asset to my team
I have the skills needed to effectively do my job
My work makes a meaningful impact
I am proud of the work I do
4. Healthy work life balance
Even if you adore your job and consider it a fulfilling of your life purpose, you should still set clear boundaries. Balancing your professional and personal life is essential to avoiding burn out and creating a positive self-image. Take a moment to reflect on what self-care means to you and make a conscious effort to prioritise yourself by setting aside dedicated time for personal well-being.
5. Gratitude
Practicing gratitude regularly for the positive aspects of your work and personal life is a powerful way to prioritise a positive mindset and boost your self-image. Focusing on what you’re thankful for can shift the focus away from what you’re lacking in life, increasing awareness of your own successes and encouraging a positive internal dialogue. Additionally, this exercise can help appreciate those around you more and strengthen your connections to them.
6. Remove qualifiers
It’s often tempting to preface anything you say with a qualifier, something like ‘I don’t know if this makes sense but...’ in order to protect yourself. Getting in the habit of using more direct statements can improve our self-esteem because it will prove to you that you do actually know what you’re talking about, and your voice deserves to be heard. Practice this somewhere you feel safer first, like a one-on-one meeting, and gradually you’ll feel confident to remove these insecure qualifiers in front of larger team meetings, clients and stakeholders.
7. Seek feedback
Enlisting the help of your peers, colleagues and employees to aid in self-reflection and improvement is an easy way to improve your confidence. Seeking constructive criticism enables you to work on facets of your work that need to be improved while remaining appropriate and not compromising your character. Feedback, as a tool for refinement, also contributes to a positive work culture therefore, we recommend cementing a feedback process into every business decision you make. In this way, the collective insights of those around you can be used to build confidence and ensure continual progress.
Adopting and maintaining a strong sense of self-esteem is not only vital for personal well-being but also pivotal in achieving success as an entrepreneur and leader. It's evident that confidence is key to effective leadership, influencing decision-making, team motivation and overall business performance. At EZRA, we recognise the power of self-esteem in leadership. Our leadership coaching programs are designed to empower entrepreneurs and business leaders on their journey to becoming more confident, effective and resilient.