Every employer wants a smart, savvy, confident employee. But where are those people found? Does confidence come naturally, as an ingrained, emotional part of the person? Or does confidence come with training and exposure to a variety of workplace situations?
Employers want their employees to feel empowered to make decisions in the workplace. Employees want to feel confident they are capable of making the decision the employer wants. But the only way employees will feel they are able to make those decisions is if they have confidence in themselves.
How to Build Employee Confidence
Building confidence requires an environment where the employee is allowed to both learn and do. Employers need to begin with providing the employee with the information needed to do the job, through either an informal or formal learning process, and then follow up with a practical experience program.
In some organizations, education is more formal and classroom oriented. This style is usually designed to provide specific information in the form of written documentation for the employee to memorize. In other circumstances, the education is more informal and done on the job, and is used primarily to teach employee how to use more than one resource to create solutions to a variety of problems.
Once the employees have the knowledge base needed to perform job related tasks, they can begin building their belief in their abilities through practical application. Though this is a natural part of confidence building, it is often the most easily missed by the employer. To believe that they have the knowledge they need, employees need the opportunity to practice. One option is to provide employees with a mentor who can oversee their performance and be available for questions.
Practical Training to Build Confidence
This practical experience time does not have to be lengthy. Depending on the job, practical experience could last from an hour or two or go on for several months. What is important is that the employer ensures the employees are set up for success by allowing them the opportunity to both learn and do. The important part is that employees are allowed time to practice their skills until they feel comfortable doing the task on their own.
Employers and employees both need to realize that only those who are confident in their own abilities will be successful. Knowing that they have the right answer, and can do the right thing, is crucial to building a sense of success. Spending the time to train employees, and to allow them to build that confidence, can be one of the best investments a business can make.
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