Teri Burgos-Gutierrez, Corporate Trainer

Teri Gutierrez is a corporate trainer, author, speaker, and web columnist. She can be reached at gutierrez_teri@yahoo.com.

"I AM BEAUTIFUL!"

In our highly competitive corporate industry, imagine two people of equal skill applying for the same job. Who will you choose? Would you pick the person who is less confident? Or, would you go for the person oozing with confidence with the way the person speaks, smiles, walks, or just simply looks at you? Quite simply, a positive sense of self can transform a person and develops an aura of confidence within the self. Rosabeth Moss Kanter in the best-selling book Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Loosing Streaks Begin and End defined “confidence as the expectation of a positive outcome. Confidence makes you willing to try harder and attracts the kind of support from others that makes winning possible.”

Mirror…mirror on the wall

Every single day before you leave for work, an everyday practice is looking at yourself in the mirror! We want to be certain that everything is in its proper order and that the image we want to project of ourselves is right there! We even talk to ourselves to confirm that we are the persons we want others to see!

Confidence in the Workplace

In the workplace, confidence settles the rivalry between two people who’ll ask for and receive a raise and which employee will accepts the status quo; between the employee who gets affected by losses and failures and stops making cold calls, and the one who moves ahead and acquires increased mega sale.

Ultimately, at the end of the day, the confident employee gets the high-performance payoff and climbs way up in the ladder of success.

Confidence Strategies

If, like most people, your confidence could use a boost, here are simple but basic strategies on how to develop it quickly, keep it working for you, and create an atmosphere of optimism right where you work.

1. Feel beautiful. You really are. You must accept it because you are! Allow others to see that beauty that is you and in you!
2. Tell yourself that you are intelligent. Author Howard Gardner in his book on Multiple Intelligences says that all persons are intelligent. Each one possesses intelligence and that we continue to develop other intelligences to further develop the self.
3. Talk to yourself. Intrapersonal communication is talking to oneself. This may not be the ideal communication but this is still a type of communication where a person is both the speaker and the listener. Learn the importance of giving yourself “pep talks” and be sure to keep your voice in your head positive. This makes you better prepared to do your assigned tasks.
4. Look good. When people see you at your best and remind you about it every now and then, your confidence level reaches its maximum level.
5. Be in control. Confident people have the sense that they are in control and can take actions that will make things happen for them.
6. Stay focused. Your attitude and nonverbal signals should be aligned with what you are about to accomplish. Confidence is seen in one’s body language, demeanor, and in one’s surroundings.
7. Continue to grow. According to Rosabeth Moss Kanter, “if there’s one winning behavior that people building confidence should model, it’s the willingness to get back into the game after a setback.”
8. Assert yourself. Verbalize your feelings. Praise yourself and tap your shoulders for a job well done. In the same manner, praise others and tap their shoulders for their job well done as well.
9. Practice. Practice. Practice. “Practice makes perfect.” This is a universal truth.
10. Relax. Learn the art of relaxation. Appreciate the beauty that surrounds you. Breathing exercises can relieve you of the unnecessary stress and tension. Walk an extra mile for yourself and your co-worker. Love your work. Love yourself. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. Be confident! You are beautiful!
    

“Everyone knows that we are born with five senses – hearing, seeing, tasting, touching, and smelling – that keep us in touch with reality. What most people don’t realize is that we’re also endowed with a sixth sense that has a lot to do with emotional stability and mental health. The sixth sense is the capacity to feel wonder – and that keeps us sane.” --Dr. Smiley Blanton

BOOST YOUR CONFIDENCE THROUGH A PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT GIVEN FREE OF CHARGE AT THE CAREER AND EDUCATION FAIR ON MAY 3-4 AT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, PASAY CITY. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.