There are more than a million reasons why it can be difficult for anyone to boost their confidence and command respect. In an organisation, for instance, this may be due to your age or the fact that you are of a particular gender, or perhaps because you are still new to the organisation.
Of course, these are unfair reasons, but they certainly do exist and can make it difficult for anyone to adjust in their environment. If any of these situations sound familiar, then you’ll need to put some extra efforts to prove yourself before everyone else. This may mean making all the unimaginable sacrifices so you can make a name for yourself. If you don’t know where to start, then here are a few pointers to help build your confidence and command respect from your peers and colleagues.
8 Strategies For Boosting Your Confidence
1) Be Worthy of Self respect
Although this pointer may seem obvious, it is quite important to consider. If you want your colleagues or peers to respect you, you need to ascertain you are worthy of the respect. This means doing your level best not to disappoint others. In a work scenario, for instance, you need to show up on time, meet the deadlines, and follow through the instructions for certain work execution. Additionally, you need to ensure that you provide quality and dependable work. When you are able to present yourself in a professional manner, you’ll most likely succeed in what you do and this may end up motivating you and building your confidence. Moreover, everyone at work will respect you if they know you are someone they can rely on.
2) Get Rid of Qualifiers
More often than not, people have the tendency to preface their contributions and ideas with some qualifying statement in an effort to protect their egos just in case their ideas turn out to be lacklustre. Nevertheless, people who command respect from others often avoid these kinds of phrases. To command respect from other, it’s imperative to put your ideas out there and then work on the feedback you get as a result. Dropping the lead-ins can be quite a difficult habit to stop, but is a sure way of speaking with confidence and having your thoughts and ideas taken seriously.
3) Do Not Downplay Success
Remember the last time you were complimented for a job you did? How did that go? If you are anything like some people, you’ll most definitely say that it wasn’t a big deal. Accepting praise can be somewhat uncomfortable, but it’s difficult for others to respect you if you cannot respect yourself.
Instead of ignoring your successes, no matter how small they may seem, try replying with polite words such as “Thank you.” Receiving confidence with poise and grace seems insignificant, but it’s a good way to give your reputation a boost.
4) Body Language Matters
In most cases, your non-verbal cues or body language have so much to say about you than the words that actually come out of your mouth. Chances are you’ve heard of this sentiment over and over – and for a good reason. You can come up with the most creative inventions of all times, but if you pitch your idea with your eyes facing downwards and your shoulders hunched, then it definitely will not create the impact you want. The best thing to do is to stand up and pull your shoulders back. Make eye contacts and be firm with your handshake. All these are marks of a confident person who deserves all the admiration and respect they can get.
5) Self-Presentation
Self-presentation is crucial as it determines how other people look at you and how much they are going to respect you. Self-respect involves things such as behaving appropriately in certain situations. For instance, you shouldn’t be joking at a time when people are expected to be serious because that will make people not to respect you. Self-respect also involves dressing appropriately at all times and ensuring no one feels offended by the clothes you put on. Self-presentation is a crucial part of being respected since it portrays how much respect you have for yourself. Sometimes people don’t behave or dress in a manner to demonstrate that they respect themselves.
In a perfect world, you can easily walk to work in your pyjamas. Not only will this comfortable for you, but it would also show that talent and skill run way deeper than just style and fashion. But until this day comes, it is important to always look professional when going for work. If you are attending an event, you can also wear one of your best suits as well as your favourite loafers to complete the look. The way you dress can influence what people think about you as well as how they treat you. It is, therefore, imperative to dress the part and command the respect you deserve.
Follow the following link to learn more about the suits and ties that can build your confidence at work and command the respect you deserve.
6) Stand by Your Beliefs
Beliefs and opinions change throughout a person’s life, and that’s not a bad thing. After all – that how an individual grows. Even when that is true, it is imperative to ensure you don’t compromise your beliefs to fit in. When you do that, you don’t respect yourself. While you gain confidence in your beliefs and opinions, it is also important to be comfortable with what others believe in, but this should not necessarily sway your opinions – that way, you’ll be able to command the respect irrespective of where you are. If you believe that what you are doing or saying is the right thing, then continue saying or doing it! Do not be afraid to stand by your opinion and beliefs.
7) Develop a Presence
A good number of those who struggle with being respected by others feel that their voices are suppressed. This may be in the form of interruption, being ignored, or being talked over. In such a case, a person feels like their opinions are overlooked and their feeling brushed aside.
If this is the case for you, it’s time to stand up for yourself. Making yourself heard is crucial to developing a more social presence, something that will earn you the respect you need. Doing so will cause people to consider your opinion and take you more seriously when conversing with them. However, make sure you can do that respectfully because being disrespectful will only cause others to disrespect you.
8) Use “Enforceable Boundaries”
If you believe that people are usually taking advantage of you, then perhaps is time to take action. The number one way of ensuring people do not take advantage of you (this is an indication that people do not respect you) is to come up with clear, enforced boundaries with those surrounding you. When you do that, you’ll be in a position to earn their respect by letting them know that you respect yourself to the extent of controlling what happens to you.
When it comes to setting boundaries, you need first to consider the things you can control. These things within your control are often the easiest boundaries to create because they are not difficult to enforce. The boundaries you set should be ones that are easy for you to enforce because setting difficult ones open the possibility of failing, making you lose respect further. For instance, you can create boundaries for people entering your home, and if for one reason you find it difficult to control those who enter your home, then perhaps it’s time to call the cops. Your boundary can be in the form of limitations, such that you limit the number of people entering your home as well as the time they can enter your house.
Apart from that, there are instances when your colleagues can take advantage of you in the workplace. In this case, you need to remember that there are certain aspects of your work which you can control because there are laws in place to protect the rights of each and every employee. Since these are measures you can take in case your employer or colleagues overstep your boundary, then these are the things you have control over. If you are asked by your boss to complete specific tasks even when your time is up for the day, it is important for you to make it clear to them that you are being overworked. When you do that, they will certainly respect you to the extent of paying you for your overtime. If they want you to work for additional hours or complete some additional work, then they must allow you to clock in.
Final word
The above are some of the essential tips that can help you boost your confidence as well as command respect from your loved ones, colleagues, and peers. If you are able to earn respect from other people, you’ll live a happy life knowing that you are actually valued by those around you. Consider the pointers above, master one or more of the tactics, and live a life of respect and confidence.