How to overcome your self doubts in the workplace
Career consultants share tips on ridding yourself of the fear of failure and building self-esteem
A day at work can be so pleasant – especially for those who are highly trained, familiar with their subject matter and get on well with others. In other words, the ideal conditions for success.
Yet a lot of people doubt themselves on the job, beating themselves up with thoughts such as “I’m not good enough” or “Am I even up to it?”
“Often it’s women who are plagued by self-doubt in their jobs,” says career consultant Hanne Bergen, in Hamburg, Germany. For example, the International University of Applied Sciences Bad Honnef/ Bonn found in a 2017 study that women rate their strengths in their careers far lower than those around them.
According to the study, men can also be highly self-critical – but to a much lesser extent. Selfdoubt on the job can have very different causes. It may be because those who are self-critical are suddenly confronted with new tasks for which they don’t yet have enough experience.
“In such cases, some selfdoubt is normal,” says career consultant Ragnhild Struss, also in Hamburg. “In many cases, however, self-doubt stems from a lack of self-esteem.”
This, she says, is often linked to unrealistic expectations. Because even if a certain task is a challenge, with a stable level of self-esteem you could confidently see something new as a development opportunity. If you’re feeling insecure, however, the focus is more on the fear of failing.
If you’re someone who makes their self-worth strongly dependent on positive feedback from others, you quickly become insecure when you get hardly any from others.
“In such cases, it often helps to simply request feedback for the work you’ve done,” career counsellor Bergen advises.
Having a positive self-image is also important. To this end, you should ask yourself: What do I achieve with my work, what is the product of my work? And perhaps you can also admit to yourself that not everything has to be perfect all the time, and done as quickly as possible.
Struss recommends carrying out a realistic analysis of the situation and writing it all down. For example, you could note down the tasks for which you feel selfdoubt and then describe these tasks. What do they consist of, what skills are required?
Then you should ask yourself why you think you are not up to a task. Do I really lack the necessary skills? Am I afraid that I won’t be able to complete the task in the required time? “As soon as you know why you’re having feelings of self-doubt, you can start taking action,” Struss says.
This can include acquiring certain technical skills, having a conversation with your team leader about workload, or dealing with your fears therapeutically.
As soon as you know why you’re having feelings of self-doubt, you can start taking action
RAGNHILD STRUSS, CAREER CONSULTANT
If, however, you cannot quite put your finger on why you’re feeling insecure, then self-doubt will always come back. The basic problem – lack of self-confidence – needs to be addressed, says Struss. It’s helpful, for example, to keep a diary or to consciously remember situations that you’ve successfully mastered.
To keep self-doubt at work in check over the long term, it’s important to constantly work on yourself.
“You can regularly write down two or three situations where you have done particularly well,” recommends Bergen. If self-doubt resurfaces, simply read what you’ve written to give your self-confidence a boost.