Self-doubt. It’s that sneaking feeling we all get from time to time. Are you good enough? Will you really be up for the task?

Keeping your confidence, improving yourself and your work, and even boosting the assurance and productivity of others are things many professionals don’t always think about, but that impact them every day. Several LinkedIn Influencers weighed in on these topics this week. Here is what two of them had to say.

Heidi Alexandra Pollard, chief empowerment officer at UQ Power

“Have you ever struggled with itty, bitty, niggly self-doubt,” asked Pollard in her post Seven Ways to Overcome Self-Doubt. “It can be exhausting… [but] it needn’t stop you.”

Overcoming this feeling is partly a matter of knowing where to start building confidence.  Pollard offers seven ideas. Amo

ng them:

“Let go of the need to know how you will achieve your vision. You likely do not know how you will create your dream, your business or your next promotion, especially not in the beginning,” Pollard wrote. “Instead of focusing on the how, focus on the who. Get a clear mental picture and a sense of who you need to be to achieve the goal.”

“Start with why you want to achieve the goal… Let yourself get excited… This reminder of why your vision is important to you can help you set that doubt aside,” she wrote.

“Make a decision and a commitment. Once you define your dream or goal, decide that you want to live this way. This may seem basic but many people never decide and commit fully,” Pollard wrote. “Make a commitment to yourself.”

“Be a witness to the voice of self-doubt. As you notice the voice of doubt coming up, watch the thoughts that come up like an observer rather than participating in them,” she wrote. “Recognise that it is the voice of the part of you that wants to keep you the same and to keep you in familiar territory… simply allow the doubt to be expressed and move on. Recognise that you are not your fear.”

“Self-doubt is likely something that you will face on the path to creating your business or building your career, but that is no reason to stop moving forward,” Pollard wrote. Instead, “take a few minutes to readjust your focus.”

George Murray, chief operating officer at Northern Engraving Corp

Could there be a simple reason some companies miss the mark even as they work to stay ahead of change? “Many companies that struggle to improve… when you ask the leaders and the employees [whether] they are continuously improving themselves, the responses are weak,” wrote Murray in his post Improving Yourself and Others.

Rather than simply say change is needed, companies need to “create a culture to stay ahead of the pressure of everyday change… every leader and every individual has to understand that they must improve themselves,” he wrote.

How can you continuously improve, given all the pressure to simply keep up? For starters, Murray wrote, stay current. That, he wrote, includes “continuous reading, schooling, learning new things” and staying ahead and in-the-know about your industry.

Rather than wait for the company or a higher-level executive to help or implement improvements, take it upon yourself, he advised.

“Taking personal responsibility… puts momentum on your side, it enables you to call more of the shots, Murray wrote. If you’re the boss, it doesn’t end there. “As a leader you not only have your personal responsibility to improve yourself; you have the responsibility to outline and help all your team to be more successful.”

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