We all know someone who at every opportunity will always try to one-up whatever you say ..”That’s nothing, I began coding by the time I was 3.” It’s easy to come off as arrogant. Perception is everything.
If you seem arrogant, you’ll alienate people. There seems to be a very fine line between coming across as arrogant or coming across as confident.
Yes, arrogant people are confident, but with a seemingly different root cause, perhaps financial privilege or having been the center of attention. There are two main factors that contribute to being confident: self-efficacy and self-esteem.
The key being that confident people have qualities that everyone admires, and does not come across as a Class-A jerk that people would rather avoid.
Here are some tips to
- Confident people aren’t name droppers.
- Confident people are interested in others
- Confident people make eye contact, making you feel important.
- Confident people are quick to apologize when they are off schedule or running late.Their know that their time is not more important than anybody else’s
- Confident people are inquisitive and ask questions
- Confident people don’t profess to have all the answers.”I don’t know the answer, but I’ll find out”
- Confident people do not interrupt conversations.They actively listen to you.
- Confident people don’t feel the need to bad mouth others
- Confident people are not condescending when speaking to others, they do not put down others.They don’t cross the line.
- Confident people admit their mistakes and learn from their experiences and don’t pass the buck.
- Confident people look the part. Their body language is open and not intimidating. They don’t point fingers, they don’t wave other’s off ,
- Confident people speak assertively. No “ummms” and “ahhhs
- Confident people keep an open mind
- Confident people relish achievement and contributing their talents to the world
- Confident people don’t feel threatened by others’ successes
- Confident people don’t feel the need to brag. Their accomplishments do it for them.
- Confident people enjoy what they have without defining themselves by their possessions.
- Confident people define their core values in the face of adversity and are not ostentatious,
- Confident people are not ruthless or manipulative exhibit callous behavior
- Confident people take responsibility for their choices.
Confidence can show in many ways: your behavior, your body language, how you speak, what you say, etc. Take the high road so as not to get the proverbial eye roll from co-workers.
Be confident, be secure and project it out to the world.
I invite you to share your experiences or thoughts, or comments. You can Email or call me for more information on soft skills/interpersonal skills workshops that can transform employees.