How to Manage an Insecure Employee

When employees lack self-confidence, it can be hard to get them to perform at their best.

As the boss, you need to help them build confidence in their own capacity and help them change how they see themselves. It’s not an easy process. But with time and patience, you may begin to see a shift in the right direction. Here are a few strategies to try:

- Reflect > You need to understand what you’re trying to solve before you go in with solutions.

- Be honest > Tackle behaviors which could derail the employee trajectory or are damaging the team.

- Build trust > Lay the groundwork to show you care about them, and you are on their side.

- Clarify expectations > Give well-defined deliverables and explain your ambition for the employee to work independently.

- Give specific feedback > Coach your employees on how to leverage their strengths by reminding them of times they excelled and felt competent

- Pair colleagues together > Pair your insecure employee with a peer who has complementary skills.

- Recognize when your efforts are not working > You must try not to let your frustration show, but if you’re not seeing progress, you have to make the decision whether to let this person go or to assign him to a different job.

To read the complete article from HBR, please click here.