Take A Small Risk Every Day

By Laura Bogomolny, Calvin Leung and Erin Pooley

Say you're in a meeting with your boss and other senior executives. You want to contribute but are worried about saying something silly. Force yourself to speak up and provide input. It will build your confidence, make it easier for you to participate in the next meeting and serve you well in the long run.

Another scenario: you have traditionally attended all client meetings. Recently, though, you've been assigned additional responsibilities, and you just can't make every appointment. Take a leap of faith and send your sales team without you.

"You can start with very small risks, like asking your boss for feedback," says executive leadership coach Lindsay Sukornyk of North Star Coaches. "But the more risks you take, and you're successful with, the more confidence you'll gain." So while stretching out of your comfort zone can be scary--if you're someone who always relies on notes during a presentation, ad libbing to create a more natural style can be extremely intimidating--trying new approaches builds your skills and advances your reputation as a well-rounded worker. And that positions you perfectly for a move to the next level.