Institute of Management Take Aim at Self-Confidence
The New Zealand Institute of Management is running a free community event on the 23rd of October to address the issue of
low self-confidence in the workplace.
Self-Confidence is an issue that affects most people to some degree, but for some it is almost overpowering, limiting
their ability to be happy and productive.
As part of their mission to improve management and leadership skills in New Zealand, NZIM focuses on all areas of human
performance associated with productivity.
Low self-confidence affects workers ability to speaking up in meetings, to take on challenging tasks and to deal with
aggressive behaviours from co-workers. Speaking
softly combined with negative body language can lead workers to appear ineffective to both co-workers and management.
People with low self-confidence tend to
keep a low profile in the workplace, greatly limiting their chance for a successful and satisfying career.
Low self-confidence comes primarily from upbringing, from parents who are overly critical. Psychologists refer to
“conditional love’, which is when affection is only
shown when the child is seen to be performing to the parents’ expectations. This leads to low self-esteem and to a need
for approval as an adult.
This process can be reversed through a focus on values, weaknesses and strengths. Examining the major causes of fear and
using ‘systematic desensitisation’, repeating
the action over and over, causes the fear to gradually diminish. Similarly, a focus on growing strengths, and achieving
goals over a period of time, gradually increases
the ability to take on other challenges. This produces a virtual cycle of increasing ability and self-confidence.
Kieran Bird of NZIM comments “We have great ambitions to impact the lives of as many Kiwis as possible with this
approach. We aim to improve productivity, and frankly, quality-of life, one New Zealander at a time.”
ends