Low Self-Esteem and Its Impact on Your Work Articles | Self Esteem

By: Darren Williger

Think of the person you know with a successful career. This person usually is very confident in his or her abilities. In fact, at times, they can even present themselves as arrogant or “know-it-alls.” But in order for a person to have success in their careers, they must be able to bring new ideas to the tables so as to present themselves of value to the company. Successful people are people of conviction who are confident in what they believe. Those who are hidden from the company are those who are seen as shy and rarely contribute anything in terms of innovations and fresh ideas. That is not to say the meek person is not qualified for the job. Oftentimes the meek person is very smart and capable but they do not get the respect of their peers and do not display potential with upper management in order to achieve promotions. It is the person with fortitude and confidence that will be chosen to lead the company team into the future.

You may have just discovered some reasons why you have not been promoted. You may need to evaluate your level of self-esteem very closely and see if it is low and holding you back in your career. Low self-esteem will never get you recognized as a plus in the company—only a liability. Take a look at the following and see if any apply to you:

Low Confidence Level

If you are lacking in confidence, it could adversely affect you getting projects done on time, within budget, and at acceptable levels of quality. And, a low confidence level will hinder your ability to lead others in a project because it will rub off on them too.

Cannot Take Responsibility for Actions

The person with low self-esteem is afraid of any kind criticism or helpful advice. These are the people who blame others when things go wrong. They also show little resolve in handling the problems that do manifest during the day. And they find it impossible to take responsibility for things that went wrong.

Cannot Stay at Jobs for Long

They never stick around at a job long enough to ever see if they can be successful and get that promotion. These are the ones who see their current job as only a step in the bigger picture (because they are never happy).

Afraid to Try New and Different Things

They have no pioneer spirit which is crucial to being a supervisor and leading people. And it’s the people who get the projects done. They are creatures of habit and won’t try new things because they may fail yet their business never grows and their customer base seeks to do business elsewhere.

No Control

You cannot get people to do what needs to be done if you have no confidence in yourself. You have to be able to inspire that same confidence to get the task done with your people.

Very Little Intimacy

This is not to be confused with dating those who work for you as this is not recommended. This has more to do with getting to know the people who work for you and understand personal dynamics so as to recognize when job performance is slipping due to external factors. People with low self-esteem cannot connect with people and cannot understand them.

Little Energy

When you have low self-esteem, you have little energy. Successful leaders have to be energetic so as to be able to multi-task efficiently.