What do you do if your lack of confidence is hindering your ability to take on new responsibilities?

Start saying yes to small opportunities. Little by little your confidence will grow. Gain support from a mentor to support you on your growth journey. And know that mistakes are simply opportunities to learn.

To effectively manage a lack of confidence when tackling new responsibilities, follow these key steps: Begin by recognizing and acknowledging the fears that hinder your progress. Identifying specific fears, such as the fear of not meeting expectations or the fear of making errors, is crucial to address them logically. Understand that making mistakes is a common aspect of learning and growth. Reframing how you view these challenges—as opportunities to improve rather than merely obstacles—can significantly lessen the anxiety and self-doubt associated with these fears. Overall, openly confronting and rationalizing your fears sets a strong foundation for building the necessary confidence to take on new and challenging responsibilities.

Incorporate Peer Support: Share your goal-setting journey with a trusted peer or a mentor. Having someone to discuss your progress with can provide additional motivation and accountability. Peers can offer support, celebrate your small victories with you, and provide constructive criticism that can help refine your efforts towards achieving your goals. Flexibility in Goal Adjustment: While having SMART goals is imperative, maintaining flexibility to adjust these goals in response to evolving circumstances or insights is equally vital. Allowing room for adjustments helps keep your goals realistic and attainable, reducing the pressure and potential discouragement that can come from unforeseen obstacles.

Embracing Discomfort We often hear about the importance of confidence in taking on new responsibilities. But what if we flipped the script? Instead of waiting for confidence to magically appear, what if we viewed new challenges as the very tool to build that confidence? Here's a perspective I've been pondering: 1 Reframe 'lack of confidence' as 'room for growth'. 2 Treat new responsibilities as learning laboratories, not tests. 3 Focus on progress, not perfection 4 Cultivate a 'growth mindset' - believe in your ability to develop skills. 5 Document small wins to build momentum. 6 Embrace feedback as a roadmap, not a judgment. Remember, every expert was once a beginner.

Celebrate Every Success, No Matter How Small: Actively celebrate the completion of each goal, as this reinforcement can lead to an increased sense of accomplishment and self-worth. Rewards can range from taking a break to enjoy a hobby, treating yourself to something special, or simply acknowledging your progress through self-affirmations.

Achieving goals can be more fulfilling and enjoyable when shared with others. Social reinforcement through regular interactions and shared experiences can reinforce commitment and effort towards meeting these objectives.

I remember when I wanted to break into organisation design I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to join a project team as an assistant thus was able to slowly build up entry level awareness and understanding. Over time I built my experience to become competent and eventually lead organisation design projects myself. The take away is: be curious and have the confidence to ask if you can join a project team - even if it is just as a note taker and take EVERY opportunity you can to learn.