Five everyday practices to boost your confidence

Five everyday practices to boost your confidenceFive everyday practices to boost your confidenceI often bristle at people who say women lack confidence in the workplace. Part me thinks its a thinly-veiled form of victim-shaming that puts all the blame of our patriarchal systems and structures on women themselves.But theres no denying it being seen as someone who feels confident in their own skin is a big part of managing your image. And while theres nothing wrong with being doubtful, too much self-doubt can hinder your ability to take risks, try new things, and grow.So if cultivating confidence is something youre working on now, here are 5 easy steps to start1. PrepareAs Brad the boo always says, practice how you want to play.Nobody is born feeling confident in their innate abilities. We all have to work hard to hone our craft, whether its public speaking, programming, or leading a team. So when youre feeling that nervousness that comes with rising to the occasion and trying somethin g new, the mora hours you spend practicing and preparing, the mora confident youre going to feel when its game time.Ive spent the last 5 years really honing my craft asa public speaker, and it truly doesnt look all that glamourous. Most of the time its just me, pacing back and forth, alone in my hotel room, standing in front of a mirror, and recording myself speaking. Then Ill play back the tape, listen and watch for whats working, and try again while eliminating what wasnt.Set aside dedicated time for focused preparation and youll feel so much more confident in whatever youre tackling next.2. Phone a friendI was recently brought in to help a national firm with sexual harassment training. Now Ive done a lot of training and development focused on gender at work in the past, but this particular subject matter was a stretch opportunity for me. So instead of subscribing to that fake it till you make it approach, that can sometimes leave you feeling a bit out of your league, I brought in a trusted friend, and fellow training and development expert.Its not only better for me, but its in the best interest of my client to bring another persons experience and hintergrund into this particular project.When youre expanding your own skillset, it doesnt hurt to bring in some outside reinforcement. Butyouhave to take the initiative to seek out that kind of support. Whether its a phone call to a friend or colleague whos been around the block before, or a more formal partnership with some one who can help deliver on your objectives, its important to remember we dont need to go it alone.And sometimes its as simple a phoning a friend for the pep talk you need to recognize that you already have what you need within you.3. Dress the partI used to be a bit fashion agnostic. I would rather focus on the substance of what Im doing, Id argue, than the style with which Im doing it. But I was missing the point of dressing up. Its not so much for others, but looking put together is more a bout how you feel about yourself.I recently sat down with one of our Bossed Up Trainer Team members, Tiffany Ingram of thePolicy Fashion blogto talk throughhow to dress for work this fallon the Bossed Up blog. She reminded me that looking your best can help you feel your best, too.When Im having an off day, changing out of my yoga pants for a more polished and professional look gives me a boost of swagger that helps me bring my A-game to whatever the day calls for.4. Power poseSimilarly, how I carry myself matters, too. Amy Cuddy pioneered research around power posesthat shows people feel more confident when theyre in an expansive body position. Sitting or standing tall, with your shoulders back and chin held high not only makes others see you as more powerful, it can makeyousee you as more powerful, too.On the contrary, more closed-in, constricted body positions can leave you feeling less confident. Now this is a major when we think about how gender affects body position, too. As little girls, if were conditioned to shrink ourselves, cross our legs, and keep our kralles folded in on ourselves, were feeding into a stereotype about femininity and powerlessness.Take up more space, and ironically, youll start to feel more entitled to that space, too. So before your next big meeting, presentation, or interview, assume a high-power body position for at least 2 minutes (preferably in front of a mirror), and youll walk in with an extra kick of confidence.5. Brainstorm a brag sheetWhen youre feeling anxious and unsure of yourself, a million reasonswhy yourenotcut out for the task at hand might be flooding through your mind.Ive never done this before.Im such a fraudIm not qualified.Take control over the voice in your head by focusing instead on the reasons why youareequipped to give this a try.Ive been working on this project more closely than anyoneIm setting aside time to figure this out.Im the only here with an MBA.Whatever it is, take control of the narrative in y our head, starting with brainstorming a brag sheet listing out your past achievements and strongest characteristics. In other words, its about focusing your attention on the reasons why youre awesome, capable, and can totally handle curveballs that will come your way.Now if youre feeling so self-conscious that even beginning this kind of an exercise feels impossible, enlist the support of your friends and colleagues, who might be even better able to remind you of your strengths. Once youve got them written out, refer back to your brag sheet whenever youre feeling out of your league to remind you of how far youve come already.This article first appeared on Bossed Up.

No Problem. Is a Problem

No Problem. Is a Problem No Problem. Is a Problem Welcome to President Bush, Mrs. Bush, and my fellow astronauts.- former Vice President, Dan Quayle, who welches not an astronaut CHOICES/Image Michael MoffaOne gauge of the state of manners and civility in modern professional and rolleal life is the ritualized expressions- both verbal and non-verbal- that characterize our interactions. The triumph of the expression no herausforderung over youre welcome is one such barometer of our changing social and (un)civil climate. As such, it constitutes a warning of social clouds overhead.Ask Your GrandmotherThere once was a time when if someone said, Thank you, the natural and virtually universal reply would have been youre welcome. Check with your grandmother to confirm this. In the highest-levels of professional or formal interaction, this is probably still the norm. Likewise, among non-native English speakers, who generally learn the most polite English from their formally-trained instruct ors, youre welcome prevails, despite their fondness for the too casual gonna (going to).But ask yourself whether your typical response or the one you hear most often among recruiters, between recruiters and candidates or between recruiter and client is youre welcome, or no herausforderung.In all likelihood, quite accustomed to saying or hearing no aufgabe, most people wont give it a first or second thought. Its as natural as put a shrimp on the barbie, mate is in Australia- even if no prawblem conceivably may have not originated there.You enter any shop or store, you pay for your purchase and say, Thank you. If the assistant, clerk or Star Bucks barista is under 40 (as they all seem to be at any Star Bucks Ive been in around the world), it is as predictable as saggy pants on a rapper that youll hear no problem in response.The problem with no problem is that it is absolutely the wrong thing to say- including for recruiters.The Problem with No ProblemWhats wrong with it is that it dis torts thank you into Im sorry. Think about it Thank you- No problem you didnt cause me any or much trouble or inconvenience. (Giving you my money inconvenienced you?) Or, No problem just dont do it again. (Dont buy another Super Mocha Grande?) Or, No problem it wasnt important, anyway. (Ah, my business is unimportant?) Or, No problem no big deal for me. (My patronage doesnt matter?)- the latter being subtly different from It wasnt important, anyway. These are not responses to expressions of appreciation. They are responses to an apology for wrongdoing.Now, imagine saying no problem to a client who has just said thank you for your candidate search and recommendations. If you are younger, rather than older, you may be at risk of saying no problem as a reflex, like Im like., since its part of the MTVocabulary (not to be confused with empty vocabularyor at least not by anyone who speaks MTV).Whenever I elicit a no problem, I cringe and think, Im sorry, but did I just apologize to you, i nstead of thanking you? If I do say, Im sorry, but did I just apologize to you?, then no problem ironically becomes the appropriate reply to me, since, indeed, I will have just expressed a real apology at that moment (for having confused thanks with Im sorry). My bad.Of course, no problem is supposed to be casual, non-formal, just as its OK is. The problem with this equivalence is that its OK should also be used only in response to an apology. Im sorry Im late.- No problem/Its OK. Besides, why should being casual legitimize such a mismatch of remark and reply?The Problems of Illogic and Being Ill-ManneredPerhaps the evolution of such an accusatory acknowledgement as no problem is the result of flawed MTV logic Casual is good. Therefore non-polite is good. Therefore impolite is good. This kind of thinking clearly underlies about 95% of the taunting banter between adolescent males who otherwise call themselves friends Yo doofus, wus up?They can get away with that illogic you cant- unl ess you are recruiting mall-rat saggy-pants teenagers for executive posts.Another possible explanation for the displacement of thank you by no problem is that those who say no problem really do feel annoyed, inconvenienced or otherwise negative about the person thanking them and are letting their true feelings leak out- in the culturally driven spirit and priorities of authenticity, being oneself or integrity that have similarly and generally displaced courtesy, politeness, respect and sensitivity (sensitivity of the second kind, viz., altruistic, rather than the currently more common hyper-sensitivity to umbrage).If I were in a recruiting situation in which I actually harbored such negative sentiments, I would resist the temptation to let my feelings leak so casually. No, instead of no problem, I would say in response to thank you, This is not an issue. (Just kidding.)The Wisdom of Robert Downey, JrA third hypothesis is suggested by Oscar-winning actor Robert Downey, Jrs response w hen asked in an interview how he would characterize American youths. His answer fearful narcissists. As an intriguing speculation, his characterization suggests that no problem may be designed to convey two things- first, that the stance or attitude of the thanked was actually defensive, borderline fearful, in expecting some huge imposition second, that self-absorption makes the thanked party oblivious to any pleasure in being helpful- the kind of pleasure youre welcome ritualistically or sincerely conveys.For the fearful narcissist, youre welcome sends entirely the wrong message, on two counts, viz., it is an existentially inauthentic lie to suggest that the thanked party actually felt comfortable in being asked for help and a second lie that he or she is truly happy to have made someone else happy.With that cleared up, if you want to thank me for my analysis, go ahead. My response?Ill be thankful if there were no problems with it.

6 Keys to Successful Job Rotation

6 Keys to Successful Job Rotation6 Keys to Successful Job RotationJob rotation is a method used for employee development. Job rotation gives the employee the opportunity to develop skills in a variety of changing jobs. In job rotation, employees will make lateral moves the majority of the time, but job rotation can also involve a ?promotion. Job rotation is a key tool that employers can use when they want to help their employees further develop their skills and careers. (Career development is a critical component in attracting and retaining both millennials and Gen Z employees.) Here are the keys to successful job rotation. Keys to Successful Job Rotation Job rotation can take distributionspolitik happenstance or it can be carefully planned and executed with specific end results in mind. The employee who is involved in a carefully planned job rotation will benefit and learn. These are the six keys to effective job rotation. Job Rotation must start with an end goal. The goal of jo b rotation determines the job changes. Thus, if a department in which every employee is cross-trained to do every job is the goal, careful structuring of the rotation must occur. If the development of individual employees, ?for eventual promotion, to advance the employees career options, to avoid job boredom, or to create backup help for vacation times, is the goal, the job rotation plans will differ. Effective job rotation specifies the goal to start. Job rotation must be carefully planned. An optimum training plan helps the employee build upon the skills learned at each step of job rotation. So, the plan involves the employee participating in a series of jobs on a path that other employees have followed that resulted in a fully trained employee, or the accomplishment of the goal.Employees are able to assess whether the job rotation is achieving the goals. Consequently, the steps in job rotation should be measurable and build upon each other. Both the employee and the organization need to benefit from job rotation. Constantly teaching employees new job skills is time-consuming and saps organizational energy. If the employee sees nothing in it for him, after he puts forth the effort necessary to learn new jobs, job rotation wont work or motivate employees.Additional compensation is often provided as employees learn new or mora difficult jobs in job rotation. Or, employees who are cross-trained to do more jobs are paid more because of the employers increased flexibility that results from their learning. A mentor, internal trainer, or supervisor/trainer is provided at each step of the job rotation plan. As an employee moves to each new job, he or she is assigned to another employee who has the responsibility to teach, answer questions, and mentor during the training.Written documentation, an employee manual, or online resource enhances employee learning. Written documentation about various aspects of each job is helpful to reduce the employee learning curve in j ob rotation. Advantages of Job Rotation Job rotation provides a career path for employees when ?promotionsare not available, or when the employee does not want a promotion or management responsibilities. Job rotation provides advantages for an employee. In job rotation, the employee gains knowledge and skills by learning different jobs that require new skills and provide different responsibilities.overcomes potential boredom and job dissatisfaction by having a new and different job with changed responsibilities and tasks.is given a new challenge, an opportunity for the employee to expand his or her knowledge, accomplishments, reach, impact, and potentially, influence different aspects of the organization.may learn about different facets of the organization and how work is accomplished in different departments or job functions. (This will build his or her organizational knowledge and ability to get things done.) is prepared for an eventual promotion, in a succession plan, by rece iving the chance to expand his or her skill set and responsibilities, and gain broader knowledge about the organization.gains visibility with a new group of coworkers and managers. Visibility for a good employee brings potential opportunities. Job rotation is viewed as desirable by employees because of the impact a lateral move or promotion has on the employees opportunity for personal and professional growth and motivation. Job rotation is seen as a continuing commitment from the employer that enables employees to develop and grow in their employment and pursue a desirable career path.