Beata Drzazga-businesswoman, speaker and business advisor-has learned the ins and outs of the American market, the cradle of world entrepreneurship. It employs over 3.2 thousand. people, running companies on two continents. He talks about his American experiences, as well as how he helps both young and experienced entrepreneurs who want to take their projects to a higher level and review and analyze their presence in business.

On the importance of courage and confidence in business from the perspective of a successful woman, entrepreneur and visionary – Beata Drzazga.
How would you define self-confidence and what is the importance of this trait for business?

Here it is necessary to focus on several aspects, such as self-assessment, knowledge, competence and capabilities. Are we able to consciously identify our strengths and weaknesses and do we feel comfortable in our skin? All of this is extremely important, because a proper assessment of our capabilities enables us to set realistic goals. However, if we can’t properly estimate our own potential, we run the risk of setting a goal that we won’t be able to achieve, or giving up on projects that could be successful. This problem affects people with low self-esteem as well as those who are overconfident.
In both cases, it will be very difficult to achieve goals, and as a result, overconfident people may even fall into overly low self-esteem. What we are talking about is extremely important, because business can be defined as the art of achieving goals, and if we are not able to define the right goal, we lose at the start. Implementing projects devoid of potential only leads to a waste of time and resources.

What affects confidence levels?

Many factors – from character conditions, to upbringing, to life experiences. Simplifying, in business, in most cases, the level of confidence depends on knowledge, experience and competence. Usually, people who are inexperienced in business feel insecure, and this is natural, but the real problem arises when it is the people who are great at their tasks who feel such a lack of confidence. The reasons for this can be many – from family or school relationships to the influence of the bureaucratic procedures of institutions, where qualities such as creativity or the courage to question the existing order are frowned upon. Self-confidence is also important due to the fact that self-reliance is one of the most important qualities a person striving for success should possess. Self-reliance is key in both large corporations and small private businesses. However, to be independent, it is important to have self-confidence. For management positions, self-reliance is strongly linked to the ability to achieve set goals. A self-reliant person takes initiative, is able to mobilize others, but also himself. As I pointed out earlier, achieving intentions is crucial to the functioning of an organization – that’s why they exist.

What is the link between confidence and courage?

Courage, in simple terms, is a quality that makes us take up arms against difficulties instead of running away. With courage, we do not give up in pursuit of our goals and fight to achieve them despite obstacles. Self-confidence and courage form an inseparable bond – self-confidence can be seen as the foundation of courage, just as it is indispensable for self-reliance. In the context of the above, it is also worth talking about self-acceptance. Self-confidence is one of the factors that affect the level of self-acceptance. With self-acceptance, we accept our flaws and weaknesses, and understand the reasons for our failures. We can respond constructively to criticism and learn the right lessons from failures. These qualities make it easier for us to achieve our business goals because we focus on solving problems rather than emotional discussions.

What steps should we take when we realize that we have difficulties with self-confidence?

To improve your self-confidence, you should first of all gain knowledge
and experience. This is a natural consequence of having them. If these steps aren’t enough, it’s worth considering the sources of the problems. People with a lack of self-confidence often rely too heavily on the judgments of others, which can lead to inadequate self-esteem. It is worth building confidence in your own judgment, which is easier with more experience in business. Attaching too much importance to the evaluations of others can lead to inadequate self-evaluation, regardless of whether they are positive or negative. If we criticize too often, we avoid taking action, and too much praise can prevent us from understanding the reasons for our failures. By relying on our own judgment, we can shorten the decision-making process and increase confidence that the actions we take are in our best interest. Other people will not always be interested in judging our actions objectively. It is also important that the self-assessment of our activities is based on objective parameters, such as the number of customers acquired or the percentage of sales targets achieved. This is important because emotions can lead us to make decisions that are not the best for our business.