LEADING YOU
Grow In Confidence: The
Key To Attaining Success
In Life And Work
By Caroline Nyamwaya Mwazi
R
ichard and Tony started out as
interns at the same marketing
communications
company
five
years ago. Both had graduated with Upper
Second Class Business Administration
degrees, majoring in Marketing, and were
excited to be entering the world of work
after tarmacking for a relatively short time.
It quickly became apparent that Richard
had issues with confidence. He rarely
contributed in meetings, hardly looked
anyone in the eye and while his creative
work was great, clients found it difficult
to relate with him as he was very shy. Five
years after they were hired, Tony is already
supervising a team, while Richard remains
an Associate, occasionally acting as a
supervisor, getting increasingly frustrated
and wishing things were different.
Psychology Today defines confidence
as belief in oneself and one’s ability to
succeed. When we are confident, we are
able to navigate life expecting to do well
and overcoming personal and professional
challenges. Confidence makes us see
and accept ourselves and others in a
balanced, realistic way as unique, complete
individuals possessing both strengths and
weaknesses. It also makes us approach life
with a “Can do” attitude.
Low self-confidence arises from various
roots including one feeling unable to face
people and speak up, intense criticism
by authority figures, traumatic and toxic
life experiences including sexual abuse,
and emotional, verbal and physical abuse
where one may think that they must
be bad and ‘deserve’ what happened to
them. Failure and financial, physical or
intellectual struggles also contribute to
inferiority and low confidence.
Psychology Today defines confidence as belief in
oneself and one’s ability to succeed. When we are
confident, we are able to navigate life expecting
to do well and overcoming personal and profes-
sional challenges. Confidence makes us see and
accept ourselves and others in a balanced, realis-
tic way as unique, complete i