Success Hacks 101: Esteem & Success

To excel in a competitive team based environment leaders have to display enough ego to believe they have earned a place at the table. This form of personal confidence can be the difference between victory and defeat in the workplace.

“The ties between self-image and performance are more important to your organization than you might think. Employee performance is important to improving bottom line revenue… Someone with high self-esteem will be satisfied with work performance and be more productive.” Anne Ward NCU PhD Organizational Psychology

In most situations a confident employee will outperform an equal or more skilled employee filled with self-doubt. That said, it behooves anyone who’s confidence is wavering to stare down the ill effects of Low Self Esteem in their personal and professional lives.

Here are a few reasons why this is important professionally:

• This sounds like some pseudo-intellectual quasi spiritual mantra, but in all reality it is the truth. Hiding behind a wall of self pity is the easiest way to shrink beneath the pressure of achieving your full potential.

• At the end of the day your greatest opponent stares back at you in the mirror. If you allow self-doubt to poison your self-image, you will deteriorate from the inside out.

• The pressure of comparison is a heavy burden to carry upon your shoulders. Carrying this weight will have negative side effects on your performance and drain your mental and physical energy.

• If you can’t see the proverbial “flowers for the trees” that you plant in the form of negative self-affirmation. You will grow into an adult life filled with pause and hesitation in the face of potential advancement.

• The weight of Low Self Esteem is so encompassing that you will not realizes that you are being impacted by its ill effects. It will loom in the shadows of your mind and influence your performance across the board.

• "Why did he/she receive the promotion/position or get the job/date/etc.?” The aforementioned are questions asked from a defeated intellectual position. A healthy mind is more inclined to ask, “What can I learn from he/she who received the promotion/position or got the job/date/etc?” Thus, embracing an opportunity to #dobetter & view the future optimistically.

• Children are scared of the dark because they don’t know any better… Adults fear taking a long look in the mirror because the truth hurts. Nonetheless, if one wants to ascend to a new level and strive for better performance – uncomfortable growth is a mandate. A mandate that will eradicate Low Self Esteem and improve performance across the board.

• When you assume responsibility for every action that impacts your performance you will be enriched be the assumption of responsibility. That is to say, no matter what role others play in the activities that shape your life, a response free of victimization will lead to true enlightenment.

• We all “hate” or throw “shade” at people/places/things from time to time, but an individual ruled by Low Self Esteem runs the risk of negative speech becoming ones principle thought process. On the contrary, reframing this urge to hate by finding something to celebrate in respect to a foes performance is rewarding. This may seem counter intuitive but your congratulation is not for their benefit, instead it is an opportunity for you to learn from their accomplishment. This form of lesson will serve as a building block for your future successes. Evaluate, learn, revise, & improve upon your competitions techniques.

In most instances the grass isn’t actually greener on the other side of an issue, but in respect to confidence – it is always better to believe in self. Here is a short list of benefits associated with game changing confidence:

• I have yet to run across a highly successful individual or team in any industry that didn’t have the confidence required to overcome a never ending list of challenges.

• I can think of few things worse than when I see an individual talk him or herself out of victory by throwing a monkey wrench into their own machinery. Individuals with a positive self-image expect to win and in turn do not fear failure – leaving no reason to self-sabotage.

• The journey is not always traversed over calm seas or smooth roads, but leaders who believe in self are not easily shaken. This level of stability in the best & worst of times will make you and your ideas attractive both personally and professionally.

• This applies to all aspects of one’s performance, but is most critical in professional pursuits: Leaders who believe in themselves and their ideas don’t leave a lot of space and opportunity for criticizing the competition. This laser-like focus on the things that “truly” matter to the team is often the single most important reason they accomplish their goals – even against challenging odds.

Your mind can be your greatest weapon or your most damaging opponent. At the end of the day, only you can determine rather it will be the former or the later.