Find Out How Confident You Appear to Others

The first step to improving your self-confidence is taking stock of how others perceive you. Confidence is subjective, what feels like confidence to you may look flaky or arrogant to others or it could be the complete opposite. There are things you might be communicating with your body language you’re not even aware of. What’s considered as confident also differs per culture, that’s why it’s important you get other people’s opinion to get a baseline of where you are and what you need to improve.

Find Out How Confident You Appear to Others
Here are three ways you can find out whether others view you as being self-confident.

Ask “What are three adjectives you would use to describe me?” Make it clear you’re not fishing for a compliment. Are these adjectives consistent with how you see yourself? Is confident or a similar adjective one of those words?
Go through previous recommendations and performance reviews you’ve received. Find comments about how you relate to others, if you speak up in meetings, or if you’ve ever shown initiative in leading a new project or presentation, as all these are signs of self-confidence at work.
Compare your actions in the table below, which are you more likely to exhibit?
Confident Behavior

Low Self-Confidence

Doing what you feel is right even if others criticize you

Acting based on what you think will win your peers and manager’s approval

The ability to take calculated risks

Staying in your comfort zone for fear of failure and rejection

Knowing how to accept compliments graciously

Downplaying or ignoring compliments

Owning up to your mistakes

Passing blame, or covering it up until you can fix them