The HR Juggler

Walking back home from school this morning I chatted to one of my friends, who was worried that her 5 year old boy was losing a bit of confidence and not thriving at school. She was reassured when we talked it over, but it reminded me of how precious a gift self-confidence is, both in children as they develop their sense of self and belonging, but also in adults and in the workplace.

For an HR Professional, confidence is hugely valuable.  Being able to give advice, deal with disputes, determine policy, manage difficult conversations and set direction for the team and for the business all require confidence, self awareness and self-belief. I don’t mean confidence in the sense of arrogance or even being very gregarious and outgoing; rather, the quiet assurance that you are doing a good job, advising the correct course of action and making a valuable contribution to the business. Confidence breeds confidence; when you are assured in your approach, others feel comfortable in their dealings with you.

When your own confidence is lost, it can be painful. TinyBeanHR wrote a heartfelt blog over the weekend about how she felt things had gone wrong in her workplace and how unconfident she felt as a result. I don’t believe for one minute that she is alone in her moments of self-doubt – we all have experiences in our professional or personal lives that can severely dent our self-belief and inner assurance. 

Confidence is precious and yet taken for granted most of the time. It is only when we lose it, albeit temporarily, that we truly appreciate it and think with horror of how difficult life would be to negotiate without it.