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In episode 65 of “The JoyPowered^® Workspace Podcast,” JoDee and Susan discuss confidence in the workplace with author, keynote speaker, and leadership consultant Erin Fischer. Topics include the difference between under and overconfidence, how to exude confidence, and the concept of being radically unfinished.

Erin has been studying confidence for nine years now, and even she finds it difficult to teach. We can innately tell when someone is confident or not, and from this derive our level of trust in the person. Erin has gained confidence through her study of the subject, and she emphatically denies being naturally confident. Rather, she has carefully considered her confident attitude, practiced her tone of voice and posture to exude confidence.

No one is perfect, and for this, Erin has coined the concept of being radically unfinished. You don’t have to have all the answers, you don’t have to have it all together, but you are still striving for excellence. A perfect example of this can be found in a beloved character from 00’s romcom classic Hitch. Erin goes on to give some examples of things she had to drastically improve on to give off a positive, confident attitude in the workplace.

Erin later details what working with a rockstar has taught her about confidence, working at a camp for children with special needs, giving feedback to a celebrity, and an epiphany she experienced backstage at a concert. Confidence tends to ebb and flow as we come into new roles and learn new skills, but it’s important to maintain a balance between overconfidence and underconfidence, hovering in the middle, at an authentic, collected confidence.

In the listener question, a company is suffering from negative reviews in the comment sections on sites like Glassdoor. JoDee walks us through some ways to handle both baseless negativity and realistic feedback. In the news, an Employee Benefit News article shows us that parental leave is on the rise in all sectors, including a new benefit for grandparents.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Purple Ink
• Susan Tinder White Consulting
• JoyPowered^®: Intentionally Creating an Inspired Workspace by JoDee Curtis
• The JoyPowered^® Family by JoDee Curtis and Denise McGonigal
• The JoyPowered^® Team by Erin Brothers, JoDee Curtis, Peggy Hogan, Denise McGonigal, Laura North, Susan Tinder White, and Liz Zirkelbach
• The Leadership and Training Studio
• The Freshman Project by Erin Fischer
• Radically Unfinished by Erin Fischer
• “Employers Zero in on Paid Parental Leave”

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