(ThyBlackMan.com) Some people are born with the confidence of a business leader, where others have to build it up themselves. Regardless of which one you are, there are plenty of things that you can do in order to build up your confidence and be an effective business leader. Here are some top tips that might help you, moving forward.
Have The Right Wardrobe
Having confidence is not just by how you act, but it can also come from the clothing you wear. No matter what type of business you run, whether that be corporate or creative, the clothes you wear can play a big part in how you feel about yourself. There are certain items of clothing or an outfit that you put together that makes you feel powerful and professional. These are items that you should have plenty of in the wardrobe and that you should be wearing while you’re at work or at a work event. Suits, for example, although typically worn by men, have now been made unisex and a lot of women will now wear a shirt, trousers, and blazer. The suit always has that power feeling attached to it but you don’t have to make it that corporate, especially if you’re within an organization that isn’t so formal.
Find clothing that shows off your personality but that you also feel positive in. That positivity is normally confidence, and if you look good, that normally makes you feel good too. If you’re struggling to find inspiration, then there are plenty of online resources where you can find style suggestions on workwear. Pinterest is also a great platform to find ideas too.
Attend Networking Events
Networking events are the area of business where you can throw yourself into the deep end when trying to build up your confidence. Networking events might be specific to just network, or it could be an event that your company is throwing and inviting clients to. The most important thing to remember is that everyone at the event is here for a reason and that there’s always a number of conversation start points that you can lean on. Try to think up three to five of these before the event starts, and don’t be afraid of repeating these to different people. Networking events can be daunting, especially if you’ve only just started a business and are new to the industry. Try to find someone to latch onto, to begin with, and if you’ve bought a friend or colleague with you, stick with them as you work around the room. 
Attending these events will get easier, and if you’re not the best when it comes to social situations, then each one will help ease you in more gently.
Take Courses In Public Speaking
Training and courses that help develop your skills are done by many, across all industries and most businesses. It’s a way of improving what you already have or those areas of your skillset that might not be so strong. One way of building up your confidence could be in the way of public speaking. As a business leader, you’ll be expected to be the voice of the company and to speak on behalf of the organization regularly. There may be times in your work where you have to give speeches or to be a keynote speaker at certain events or conferences. Now you don’t want to shy away from opportunities like this because who knows what it could lead to in the future.
Public speaking courses are certainly available for you to take advantage of and exist across the globe. If you’re looking for a public speaking course, try to find one that suits your industry in particular. There may be a different style of approach that you need to do that might be different from other industries, so it’s worth doing some research beforehand.
Have A Role Model
Whatever role someone has in a company, they will always most likely have someone they look up to. It might be someone within the business currently or someone who has now left. It could be someone from a different organization that they know or a complete stranger within the public eye. It doesn’t matter how high you get up the career ladder, there’s always going to be someone you aspire to be or are inspired by. As a business leader, there are likely to be individuals out there that you have been inspired by and have helped you work on getting to this point. Having role models is good because they bring out the very best in us. After all, we long to have the same success or strengths that they have.
If you know that person on a personal level, then take advantage of them being around. Meet up with them on a regular basis to continue having that support. If you don’t know them, there’s no harm in reaching out. Who knows what pearls of wisdom they’d be able to offer you. Never think that you don’t need to get yourself a role model because they can help find your confidence and to continue to inspire you to improve and to grow as an individual.
Acknowledge Your Weaknesses
We all have weaknesses, and anyone who says they don’t doesn’t realize what they’re not so good at. Being able to acknowledge your weaknesses is a strength in itself and is something that should be celebrated. Working on your weaknesses is good, and if confidence is a weakness, it means you can work on it and not have to feel like there’s an invisible pressure to pretend to be good at it. No one is perfect, and not everything in business as a leader is going to be plain sailing. There will be things that challenge you on a daily basis, but it’s how you approach and tackle these that will define you and build your confidence. So acknowledge those weak points and then work on improving them.
Be Kind To Everyone
Confidence comes from within, and that confidence can take a knock if someone belittles you or isn’t being professional or kind towards you. We all have the ability to be kind, but we also all have the ability to be cruel. Sometimes we can feel and think cruel things, but many of us can be kind to one another. On a professional level, you don’t need to be a nasty person to get what you desire in business. You can be professional, you can be strong-willed and authoritative, but you don’t need to bad-mouth or attack someone verbally. We all start from the bottom and if you’re treating others badly, then there will be people within the business who won’t help you back up when you fall.
When it comes to your confidence, a lot of it comes from other people, and therefore having positive and supportive colleagues around you is essential.
Remember To Praise Yourself
One thing that we don’t do enough of for ourselves is to celebrate our wins. We’re very quick to criticize and to judge our failures, but we almost always cruise past what achievements we’ve made in our lives. When you have that blip of self-doubt or confidence, it’s worth taking stock of everything you’ve achieved so far. Not only that, but it’s worth remembering what you do on a daily basis and what you’ve managed to create for your business. Running a business is not achievable for everyone and running a successful one, is far and few between. So it’s important to be proud of what you’ve done, and what you continue you do. Don’t forget to praise yourself on a regular basis, and when you feel like you’re struggling with your confidence, use these wins as a way of picking yourself up.
Trust Your Gut
And finally, as much as you may falter in confidence, your gut is probably the best thing to trust when it comes to your business. There may be times where a project looks to be falling apart, or you’ve got a business opportunity to choose whether to accept or decline. In these moments, listen to your gut and trust what you feel is right. It’s not always the correct decision but at least in your mind you felt confident with the choice you were making. The trust in your confidence is what matters the most.
Building confidence takes time and depending on how much you have to begin with will reflect that. Confidence grows as your business grows, too, and there are many areas that you can use to help build this skill up over time. Be kind on yourself and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Confidence will come with experience, and you’ll certainly get plenty of that as you run your company. Take courses and attending networking events where possible. Trust your gut and surround yourself with kind people. Acknowledge those weaknesses and praise your wins when and where you can.
Staff Writer; Peter Jones