3 Simple Ways to Overcome Insecurities and Increase Your Self-esteem at Work

Your employer is not doing charity to you.

If you work for a company, that means you provide more value than the cost you represent. Companies seek profit, so they won't hold a position that doesn't produce the expected return. You should keep that balance in your favor but as close to the tipping point as possible.

Therefore, diminishing yourself is not going to help you.

Underestimation consequences

That feeling of occupying a place we don't deserve generates several problems:

• We disrespect ourselves and allow others to do the same, violating our boundaries.
• We overwork to compensate for our perceived lack of skills.
• We don't ask for improvements in our conditions (salary or working methods) because we don't think we deserve them.
• We work afraid of being laid off.

And the list goes on…

For sure, you have already seen this happening to someone else. But it is much harder to notice it when we are in the center of the situation.

Why we feel that way

Some rational thoughts put us at a disadvantage to our employers:

• Our job is more significant to us than our contribution to them
• They can replace us more easily, as unemployment is so high
• We don't see any direct gain for the company from our work

The above affirmations are true. And I believe they are the root cause of our low self-esteem at work.

However, I disagree with how we interpret them. By changing our focus, we can also change our perception of the value we bring to the company.

Mindset Shifts

Let's consider the same statements but from a different perspective. The question is…

Who is "The Company"?

When sticking to the formal definition, our contribution gets lost among the company's hundreds of employees. However, if we consider only our micro-environment (our team or department), our incidence goes up.

Is it so easy to replace us? How many colleagues have you seen that couldn't handle the position formerly performed by someone else? If you lead a team, you know how hard it is to substitute a good member.

Coming to the numbers, it's clear that your leaving won't make any difference to the balance sheet. But what about your team's quality of service? Its internal clients will feel that difference in the team's deliveries.

As you see, that slight shift makes a huge difference. At least about how you think your employer sees you.

But what about your interests? There are also some habits you need to change.

Habits Changes

Developing a new way of thinking is not enough. We also need to support that mindset with tangible assets.

Savings

The absence of an emergency fund increases your dependence on the job.

This is why the job represents more for you than the company. It's your only source of income, and you can't live without it for long.

If you had savings equal to 6 months of your salary, you would work more relaxed.

Skills

While creating your emergency fund, you should also become a better worker.

Gain skills and responsibilities to make it easier to get a better job.

The more confident you are about your skills and independence, the better position for negotiating you will have.

Takeaway

Your job is not a gift from your employer.

That belief plays against your self-esteem and promotes your stress.

Although it's true that "The Company" survives better without you than you without it, you can change it by changing your mindset and assets.

As a consequence, you will gain both internal and external recognition.

Thank you for reading. See you next time.