From the Ask Tom mailbag:

Question:

I am a young manager, 24 years old. Lately, I noticed that I can come across as nervous and anxious during certain situtations. When interviewing applicants for a position open in my department, talking to an employee about performance, speaking to the group, I sometimes feel as if that’s the last place I want to be. My heart rate goes up, hands start shaking, voice cracks. It is as if I have no confidence in myself and am afraid of the person I am confronting/dealing with. Do you have any tips or advice to improve self-confidence as a manager and not be so nervous when dealing with confrontation or taking a leadership role?

Response:

Every single manager I know, at times, has these same feelings. There are probably a hundred things you can do that will help, but let’s start with these two.

First, is preparation. My personal stress level goes up whenever I have properly prepared. For an interview, that means creating a written list of questions. Talking to an employee, that means defining the objective for the conversation and several points that need to be covered.

Second, is to breathe. Whenever we are placed in stress, our heart rate does go up and our breathing becomes shallow. Slow down and deepen your breathing. This physiological change will reduce your racing heartbeat and physically calm you down.

Any other suggestions, post a comment. -TF