Unlocking Confidence At Work

How to be more confident?

As part of our MRTO Academy initiative, we had the pleasure of hosting another engaging session featuring two unique perspectives on a common topic: confidence.

We welcomed a special guest speaker – Pam Cusick, Senior Vice President at Rare Patient Voice. Pam brought an inspiring and empowering presentation on the personal side of confidence, showing how body language, mindset, and small shifts can help us unlock our inner strength and grow into our most confident selves.

The second part of the session was presented by our colleague Mirza Rakovac from the MR Tech Ops team. He focused on confidence in the workplace, exploring practical tools, neuroscience-based strategies, and real-world data to help professionals strengthen their confidence in everyday work environments.

                                                               Take a look below at both parts of this impactful session:

Guest Speaker: Pam Cusick, Rare Patient Voice

The Power of Confidence in Personal and Professional Growth

Confidence is a powerful trait that can profoundly impact our lives – whether we’re navigating personal development or leading teams in Market Research Solutions. While some individuals may be naturally more confident, the good news is that confidence is a skill that can be developed and nurtured, even if it does not come innately. By understanding the significance of confidence and the strategies to cultivate it, individuals can unlock their full potential and achieve remarkable personal and professional success.

Body language plays a key role in building and expressing confidence. A powerful posture -standing tall, shoulders back, and chin up – can increase feelings of self-assurance. Expansive gestures, such as open hand movements and occupying more physical space, enhance both presence and internal confidence. Confident facial expressions, including maintaining eye contact, smiling, and projecting a relaxed demeanor, further contribute to a confident appearance. A grounded stance, where the feet are shoulder-width apart and firmly planted, brings a sense of physical and emotional stability. Mirroring the body language of confident individuals can also help in internalizing and adopting a more confident presence.

Tools and Techniques to Build Lasting Confidence

To build confidence over time, various exercises can be implemented. Power poses, where you stand or sit in a confident, open posture, can help activate the brain’s reward systems and boost your feelings of self-belief. Positive self-talk, through affirmations and encouraging inner dialogue, replaces negative thoughts with messages that reinforce your abilities and potential. Visualization exercises – imagining yourself successfully completing a task or confidently facing a challenge – can mentally prepare you for success. Gradual exposure to challenging or uncomfortable situations helps desensitize fear and builds resilience. Celebrating successes, no matter how small, reinforces a sense of competence and encourages continued growth.

A major barrier to confidence is impostor syndrome. Overcoming it starts by recognizing the feeling and acknowledging that it’s normal. Challenge negative thoughts and actively dispute irrational self-doubt. Seek honest feedback from trusted colleagues or mentors to gain clarity on your abilities – especially important in high-performing, fast-paced industries like MR Ops Solutions or Project Management in Market Research. Connecting with others helps you realize that many successful people also struggle with impostor syndrome. Celebrating small wins contributes to overcoming these limiting beliefs and builds a foundation of true confidence.

Becoming the confident version of yourself starts now. Believe in yourself and embrace your abilities and potential. Take small steps to gradually build your confidence and celebrate each victory along the way. Confidence is not something one is born with, but rather a skill that can be developed through conscious effort and practice. By adopting the “fake it till you become it” approach, individuals can build their confidence and self-belief, ultimately becoming the confident version of themselves they aspire to be.

Mirza Rakovac, MR Tech Ops

What Fuels Confidence in the Workplace

Confidence in the workplace is built from a combination of critical internal and external factors. It includes self-efficacy – the belief in your ability to succeed – and psychological safety, which allows individuals to feel secure when speaking up. Competence, or having the right knowledge, skills, and experience, plays a central role. A growth mindset supports the belief that your abilities can and will improve over time. Authenticity means knowing and expressing your values, personality, and goals with integrity. Finally, support from peers and leaders through encouragement, constructive feedback, and recognition is key in reinforcing workplace confidence – especially in areas like Operational Solutions for Market Research or Fielding in Market Research.

Albert Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory reinforces the idea that “confidence is built – not born.” According to Bandura, there are four main sources of self-efficacy: mastery experiences, which come from successfully completing tasks; social modeling, where observing others succeed boosts your own belief; social persuasion, which includes encouragement from others; and physiological states, meaning that your emotional and physical reactions impact your self-belief. These pillars shape how individuals grow in confidence through experience and environment – key drivers behind successful Market Research Programming or managing MR Recruiting Services.

Tools, Triggers & Techniques to Strengthen Confidence

There are also neurocognitive tools available to support confidence. Power-posing, or holding expansive, upright postures, can influence hormones linked to confidence and stress. Grounding techniques, such as the 5-4-3-2-1 method, help regulate anxiety by anchoring you in the present moment. Breathing techniques offer immediate calming effects and reduce nervous energy, preparing the mind for clarity and control in high-pressure scenarios – particularly relevant in time-sensitive roles such as Incentive Management for Market Research.

Workplace environments often introduce challenges that can undermine confidence. These include interdepartmental conflicts – reported by 62% of professionals – and unrealistic deadlines, experienced weekly by 45% of employees. Rapid technological changes are a top stressor for 53% of workers, while generational differences in work styles affect 67% of teams. The neuroscience behind challenge response shows that heart rates increase by 20–30 bpm during conflict, and stress can reduce working memory capacity by 15–20%. It also takes an average of 23 minutes to fully refocus after an interruption. Research from Yale University shows that simply labelling your emotions – like saying “I’m feeling frustrated” – can reduce their intensity by up to 40%, allowing you to regain control more effectively.

Gallup provides a practical method for building confidence. By identifying what you naturally do best, Gallup helps give language to your strengths. This tool allows you to work smarter, not harder, by focusing on what energizes you. It helps build confidence by centring your efforts around your natural talents – an approach that complements team dynamics in MR Ops Solutions and Project Management in Market Research environments..

Five Practical Strategies

At the core of this approach is understanding your “Talent DNA” – your unique blend of abilities, preferences, and traits. Five practical strategies can help reinforce confidence daily:

  1. Mark your weekly accomplishments (as recommended by Microsoft)
  2. Keep a 21-day win journal (from UPenn)
  3. Use “The Preparation Advantage” – especially helpful for introverts
  4. Apply the 10/10/10 perspective filter to evaluate situations from multiple timeframes
  5. Avoid body language red flags that may undermine your message

With these insights and practices, confidence at work becomes an achievable, structured goal -one grounded in self-awareness, preparation, and consistent growth. Whether you’re managing Fielding in Market Research, overseeing MR Recruiting Services, or delivering Operational Solutions for Market Research, confidence is your most valuable asset.

References used
  1. Harvard Business Review (2023) “The Confidence Gap Between Men and Women”
  2. Cuddy, A. (2015) “Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges”
  3. Grant, A. (2021) “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know”
  4. Journal of Experimental Psychology (2022) “Enclothed Cognition: How Clothing Affects Thinking”
  5. Gallup Workplace Studies (2023) “Confidence and Team Performance”
  6. Harvard Business Review (2023) “The Business Case for Communication Skills”
  7. Cuddy, A. (2012) “Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges”
  8. Duarte, N. (2008) “slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations”
  9. Toastmasters International (2022) “Public Speaking Anxiety Research”
  10. Medina, J. (2008) “Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work”

Research Material Prepared By: Pam Cusick – Senior Vice President (RPV) ; Sanjin Bektić – Project Manager & Amela Željo – Patient Outreach Associate (RPV)

Blog Prepared By: Nkhwamba Msonda – Survey Programmer

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