Confidence and empowerment are not just bonus characteristics that would be helpful in a workplace setting; they are critical components of growth, job satisfaction, and success in one’s professional career. When employees have confidence in their abilities and feel empowered to make decisions, they not only perform better and contribute more to their work groups, but they also have a positive impact on their workplaces and organizations.
However, many talented professionals are restricted by common fears, such as fear of making mistakes, fear of judgment from colleagues, and fear of moving outside of their comfort zones. These fears can create invisible barriers that hold back career advancement and personal fulfillment in one’s work.
The answer is to take intentional and brave actions – what we call brave things – which can provide a pathway to increasing confidence and empowerment over time. This blog will outline some brave things to do that will change the way you show up in your work, increase your professional presence, and impact your career trajectory.
What Are Some Brave Things Employees Can Do to Build Confidence?
Brave things are actions of intention and courage that help employees stretch their comfort zone and develop professionally. Brave things will build lasting confidence, help employees increase their leadership potential, and contribute to personal and team success!
Super Examples of Brave Things Employees Can Do:
- Share ideas or ask questions in meetings.
- Volunteer for projects or assignments that are highly visible and/or challenging.
- Ask for somebody’s feedback because you want to improve and grow.
- Set stretch goals beyond your job title and job description.
- Offer to help or solutions in times of crisis and under pressure, instead of being passive.
- Share your wins with confidence and do not feel bad about bragging a little!
Why Brave Things Matter for Confidence:
- They are thoughtful, not reckless: Brave things are intentional, and based on growth, not risk-taking for risk-taking’s sake.
- They support and improve decision-making: Confident employees act sooner rather than later and communicate more clearly.
- They enhance leadership: To build trust and credibility, one must take initiative; thus, brave things contribute to leadership.
- They accumulate: Although you may only perform small brave things at first, the accumulation is building a foundation of confidence over a short period that keeps adding up!
- They can become habits: If you accomplish brave things with some regularity, they will become a normal and regular part of you over time, even when you initially felt they were going to stretch your risk tolerance!
Practical Brave Things to Do That Empower You at Work
Ready to take your first steps toward confidence? Here are some practical things you can do that are brave, and you can get started today
- Speaking up in meetings. Start with thoughtful questions or relevant examples, or ideas. Don’t worry if your contribution feels small, the point is to demo your engagement and build your presence and reputation as part of the team.
- Volunteering for challenges. If you have new projects on the go or if your manager is looking for volunteers, put your hand up even if you are not 100% ready. You must expose yourself to new challenge opportunities. This builds and creates learning moments, you can grow from these experiences and increase your visibility within the organization, and it shows your leaders that you have the motivation to progress.
- Asking for feedback. Approach your supervisors, peers,and mentors, and ask direct questions on how they perceive your performance or, like in a presentation, your organization or project outcome. This is a brave step because it shows self-awareness, a desire to develop, and a level of professional maturity and self-leadership that separates you from your peers who avoid difficult conversations.
- Setting stretch goals. Look for tasks where the target goal feels like activities that are a little on the uncomfortable side, but still achievable with some stretch and effort. It could be to learn a new software system, lead a cross-functional project team, or present to the senior leadership team. Setting these stretch goals can leave you with the possibility of surprising yourself with what you can achieve.
Tips to Overcome Hesitation:
- Begin small and begin to build
- Pick one courageous thing to do each week
- Celebrate little victories as you move forward
- Tell trusted colleagues or mentors about your goals for accountability
- Recognize discomfort as a growth opportunity instead of a red flag
These behaviours are directly associated with increased empowerment and visibility as they allow you to show up as an intentional, active, engaged professional. When you embark on regular and active courageous behaviours, your leadership observes your initiative, colleagues respect your contributions, and you foster a confidence that comes from shown competence.
How to Overcome Common Fears That Hold You Back from Brave Things
Common Workplace Fears and Solutions:
- Fear of Rejection – Reframe rejection by thinking of it as redirection. Every “No” is also a “Yes” to something better. And importantly, rejection often provides us with useful information that helps us better align future opportunities with our interests, strengths, and goals.
- Fear of Failure – Reframe failure thinking. Decide NOT to be afraid of failing and instead decide to be a data collector. Whether failure or success, collected data will only bring improvements in your future performance, behavior, and decision-making prowess.
- Fear of Judgment – No one ever judges you as harshly as you judge yourself. Most people are stuck in their own heads, trying to focus on their performance. Ultimately, your worth as a professional doesn’t hinge on any one course of action or single outcome.
Daily Habit to Build Resiliency:
- Every morning, you can remind yourself of your achievements and strengths
- Use imagery exercises to visualize yourself engaging in brave actions successfully
- Create a community of colleagues, mentors, or friends that fosters your development
- Establish safety by understanding that we all make mistakes.
The Positive Impact of Brave Actions on Team Success and Culture
Brave actions by individuals often lead to improved teamwork and make the company’s culture better. When a person on the team regularly stands out with courage, it enables others to be braver as well.
After we see employees act boldly and speak honestly, we trust them since this displays their integrity and effort for the team. On this foundation, people collaborate better, speak openly, and make better problem-solving decisions.
There’s Sara, a marketing coordinator, whose efforts to join cross-departmental groups showed her courage to face situations that made her nervous. Because of her initiative, she had the chance to grow, met new people, and found ways to enhance communication, helping different departments to work more efficiently. She achieved valuable results for the community, not only for herself.
Another person is Marcus, a software developer who started talking during code reviews to offer other ideas. While at first he was worried about his ideas causing conflict, he came to find that his new ideas really helped the team make decisions and prevented many bugs from being introduced into the program. Sharing his thoughts allowed him to improve the products and earned him a high place in technical talks.
When a team is empowered, it helps to improve the company culture as it is guided by an abundance mindset. Feeling brave inspires employees to join forces, give advice freely, and encourage each other, rather than destroy through competition.
Tools and Techniques to Support Brave Things at Work
Helpful Tools for Workplace Courage:
- Communication Platforms – You can test and discuss new ideas using Slack or Microsoft Teams, then talk about them officially at the meetings.
- Project Management Apps – With apps such as Trello or Asana, joining new projects becomes easier since you are supported by a system and urged to follow through
- Calendar Blocking – You need to schedule moments on your calendar for bold actions to make sure you actually follow through with them.
Preparation Techniques:
- Journaling – Write down what you need to say, potential challenges, and what you hope to gain before conversations or making presentations
- Visualization – Mentally practice being courageous for five minutes each morning, so it becomes easy for you to do.
- Role-playing – Role-playing – Get helpful advice and practice from people you trust for important activities like salary discussions or delivery of presentations
- Research and Planning – Get ready for challenges by planning and gathering useful information
Measuring Your Growth: Tracking the Impact of Brave Things You Do
Tracking Methods:
- Weekly Journaling – Documenting what you do every week will help you notice your achievements, results, and the lessons from your experiences.
- Growth Metrics – Keep records of events like joining the debate in meetings, participating in new projects, and initiating coaching conversations.
- External Feedback – Seek advice from your supervisors, coworkers, and clients regarding any differences in your confidence and leadership skills.
- Monthly Reflection – At the end of each month, take some time to assess your progress, recognise what you achieved, and make strategy changes.
Simple Measurement Ideas:
- How many questions are asked by participants in meetings during a week
- Forming professional ties at least once a month
- Tasks that are hard were chosen on a quarterly basis.
- Praise given by colleagues or supervisors
Common Mistakes Employees Make When Trying Brave Things to Build Confidence
Pitfalls You Should Avoid
- Forcing Confidence – This technique can look unnatural and make people uncomfortable inside. Gaining confidence usually comes from doing things well and succeeding, not by pretending.
- Ignoring Feedback – If your bravery doesn’t achieve the goals you set, refrain from disregarding useful feedback and don’t just blame others. Find the reasons behind the problem and devise ways to improve.
- Taking on Too Much – Trying to make too many big changes at once can cause you to become tired and unable to succeed. Trust between nations can only grow if we are patient and carry out efforts regularly.
- Being Alone – Moving forward by yourself cuts off your support and stops you from forming close relationships that ensure daring actions are more comforting.
Better Approaches:
- Began making brave decisions about things that are not too hard to control.
- Look for advice from reliable people whenever possible.
- Put in place systems that support people’s growth and give honest advice.
- Truly confident people understand that being vulnerable helps them develop.
Conclusion
Showing brave actions in your work isn’t only for you, but also for making your team and organization stronger and accomplishing its objectives. Acting courageously on the brave things listed in this guide can build strong and lasting confidence.
Even if you start by joining the discussion in meetings, accepting extra duties, seeking feedback, or choosing hard goals, all of your efforts will support one another to enhance how you act professionally.
Growing in your career and being content in your job comes from taking determined and smart risks, with your commitment to excellence, instead of simply relying on approval or waiting for the best opportunities. Try to do something courageous and different today.
Pick a task that seems a little challenging to you, do it, and notice how it adds to your confidence and strength in your career. The steps you take now will be appreciated by your future self and the path of your career.
You should, at this point, pick one of the brave actions mentioned and do it now. It could take just one little thing to greatly increase your self-confidence, influence, and chances of career success.