Many of us have dealt with imposter syndrome (loosely defined as doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud), but in my experience how you see yourself is the most important thing in setting yourself up for success.
How can you ‘become more confident’ in our profession?
Of course there are a number of elements such as learning best practice and gaining experience. But there’s an extra piece of advice I’d like to share when it comes to confidence – sometimes you have to ‘fake it ’til you make it’!
There will always be times where you don’t feel as confident as you’d like to, whether that’s through nerves or uncertainty, of just a lack of self-belief. Having confidence in your own ideas is crucial to overcoming imposter syndrome. Your ideas and suggestions are always valid and significant.
It’s also important to consider the actions you can take to make yourself feel confident.
Maybe it’s being fully prepared with a backup agenda before heading into a meeting. Perhaps it’s wearing a ‘power suit’ that you always feel your best self in. Or maybe it’s talking to a friend who has the ability to hype you up before an important presentation (one of my personal favourites!).
Whatever it is – make the time to give yourself the confidence boost you need when you need it.
Finally, something I’ve been saying for years… remember you are here to be the bidding expert! No matter who you’re working with, your purpose is to be the expert when it comes to bids and proposals. You don’t need to be a technical solutions expert, a fee earner, a sales manager or a health and safety specialist.
Your expertise lies in using your skill-set to get the most out of the teams you work with and leaning on the skillsets of those around you to develop the best, client-focused bid/proposal/pitch possible. Position yourself how you want to be seen by the team, with full confidence.
Self-belief can be difficult, but when you start believing in yourself, others will start believing in you too. And by having self-confidence, you’ll portray yourself in a way that appears more confident, skilled and trusting without even realising it.
In summary: have self-belief, give yourself extra confidence boosts when you need them, and remember you’re the bidding expert!
Charlotte Rees
Charlotte has worked in the bidding profession for nearly a decade, starting her journey as a bid and proposals apprentice for an engineering company. She has worked across several industries including IT services, facilities management and construction, and is currently an Associate Director Bid Manager, working within professional services. In 2018, Charlotte founded the Wellbeing and Inclusion in Bids and Proposals (WIBAP) community to target gender inequality within the profession and provide a space to share experiences and overcome the challenges we all face on a regular basis.
