Oh, hey! Welcome to the Community.
You’ve finished training. You’re ready for the job, and you have the skills in your toolbelt to be an outstanding staff member. You are ready and prepared to run your first community event and walk down the halls for your first duty night. But, what actually happens when your bright and shiny outlook suddenly clouds over?
Hey confidence…where did you go?
Confidence is a funny thing. Some people have too much, others too little, and most people fall somewhere in the middle. Confidence is a continuum that constantly evolves and changes, and it’s definitely not linear. Confidence can be taken away in one meeting or interaction or can be chipped away at over the course of the semester. How do you rebuild your confidence when it’s not at its highest?
Dr. Hendrie Weisinger wrote an article for Psychology Today where he describes confidence as “the degree to which you think and “feel” your actions will achieve positive results.” He relates confidence to self-doubt, connecting that “the catalyst to bring the function of confidence to life is the realization that your actions influence your results.” If you don’t believe your actions will change the resident’s behavior, why bother using that assertiveness statement? When the skills you learned at training do not work as expected, your confidence drops as you are not seeing the anticipated outcomes of your efforts.
Building Confidence
To build confidence in yourself and others, consider the following suggestions from Dr. Weisinger:
- Don’t praise people when it’s not deserved – It doesn’t help.
“Confident people grew up with a realistic appraisal of their abilities and thus know where they stand.” It creates a false sense of accomplishment and sets them up to be unsuccessful. Being honest helps one create strategies for coping and allows one to see the opportunity for growth.
- Adopt a Growth Mindset – View constructive feedback as an avenue for growth. It may sting initially; however, if you can take the lessons and make adjustments or tell yourself “I can’t do that yet,” you’ll adopt an attitude that focuses on growing every time you try.
- Support others, even if they’re struggling – Don’t leave your duty partner because their approach is awful! Provide accurate and unbiased feedback to help them grow. A supportive network/community can promote confidence growth.
- Celebrate the wins, even if they’re small – If only one resident came to your community event, that’s worth celebrating! Build on success rather than dwelling on what could have been or what others are doing. “Confident people developed themselves by noting and often celebrating their micro successes and used them, probably subconsciously, to create positive expectations for more successful experiences.“
Setting realistic expectations can assist with your confidence. Knowing that your confidence may take a bit of a hit and being prepared for that can help you bounce back when it happens. Be kind to yourself and others, and give space for growth. We believe in you and your abilities to shine! It just doesn’t always happen after the first try.
Welcome to the community. We’re glad you’re here.
