This is the third time I’ve written this month’s blog (really this was meant to be December’s blog). The first one was too, erm, well it wasn’t the right timing. There are limitations about what can be shared on social media, and my first blog wrapping up the year felt like it had skipped over the line of what felt appropriate to share without checking in with a few of the protagonists first. As an HCPC registered practitioner, I am obliged to follow Guidance on social media – which does what it says on the tin, it sets out reasonable guidelines on using social media. My reluctance not to post the first blog really came from more of a knowing than a set of guidelines. There was a kind of discomfort I was feeling about the blog. So, I didn’t push through that feeling, it needed to be honoured. I will probably revisit the topic later this year though, as the content and topic is important and I would like to talk about it. Watch this space.
So, I then set about writing a more neutral blog. It focused on new year resolutions, goals, intentions and all that jazz. The conversation that tends to come up at this time of year about why NY resolutions can have an adverse impact on our confidence to make change etc. I couldn’t bring myself to publish that one either though. This time because it just felt too bland and predictable for the time of year. On New Years Eve as I sat on the sofa with my girlfriend, we watched the NY come in on the BBC, and then after all the fireworks, they put on a conversation about why NY resolutions aren’t always a good thing. As I yawned and switched the TV off, it made me feel grateful not to have posted my blog. We have a general principle here at Zest where we don’t post social media for the sake of it. Bland or inconsequential content – “noise” – is not something we’re interested in. I’ve written about it before, so why churn out the same stuff?
When I set Zest up in 2020, I decided to have a blog so that I could express some of the stuff I think about. Some of the stuff that I think needs sorting out in the world. I also want the blogs to give psychologists a voice about the areas they care about, and meet in their life and work. I want the blogs to have a touch of the personal about them so they are meaningful and relevant. If I don’t care about it, then why should you? Over the time, we’ve spoken about all sorts of things on this blog, adding in voices from our interns, associates and team. I think we’ve picked up some interesting topics, challenged some opinions and given some food for thought. It can be a challenge to write such blogs, but personally, I think it’s worth it.
I like a challenge. I have to admit it. There are occasions when I fancy an easy life, but it doesn’t last long. This is currently most evident in my personal life where I have signed up to 5 endurance running events (soon to be six) for the first half of this year. Two road races – the Brighton Half and Brighton Marathon. And three (soon to be four) trail runs in the Sussex countryside – a half marathon, a 30km, a 50km and a 24hour Luna relay. I started my strength training the other day and oh yes, I’ve got some way to go… my thighs are (still) very clear about that when I go down the three flights of stairs at work 😐
Anyway, I have gotten distracted by my current obsession with running challenges. The thing is, I’m not the only one who likes a challenge at Zest. One of the things we do well here at Zest is supporting our clients in building their confidence. In particular, we support folk from under-represented groups towards achieving and (or) sustaining leadership roles. We do this because we believe diverse leadership will change the way this world works for the better. We’ve got a really well validated tool that works time and time again, no matter who you are or what your circumstances.
There is a values rub with this approach though. Whilst individuals love it, and find it super beneficial, we also need to be working with a wider focus. When we work with teams and organisations, there’s greater capacity to change unfairness in the system. Why pluck one fish out of murky muddy pool, clean him up and make him feel better, only to pop him straight back into a muddy pool? He will most likely either realise how muddy it is and jump into a nearby cleaner pool (ok, slight flaw in my analogy, but you get my drift), or resign to the muddiness and lose his vibrancy. By working with teams, departments and whole organisations we are seeking to clean the muddy pool and give all the fish a chance of revitalizing themselves.
To support our objectives, in 2024 we invested time in University of Hertfordshire MSc Occupational Psychology students who were also keen to take up a challenge, and this is what I really want to talk about in my blog. Rachel Smith who was a permanent psychologist at Zest (now an associate) provided top class additional supervision (on top of the supervision they automatically receive from Herts). We wanted to enhance our understanding of what Authentic Confidence looks like for minoritized groups and decided to collaborate with Herts to do that. We were lucky to have a number of research projects completed. Over the coming months, we will be sharing the infographics they created as part of their time with us but let me start by sharing a snapshot of their excellent work with you now.
Seven students chose to do their workplace assignment with us, and four of them followed up doing their student project (a dissertation to you and me) by building on the research they started in their workplace assignment.
With some initial vision and shaping from Zest, each student chose their topic of interest. After all, a challenge needs to be something you care about. Victoria Osemene conducted a narrative literature review of self-confidence of Black women. Sadly, discrimination was discovered as the main theme when it came to understanding what impacts Black women’s confidence. Osemene explains that in turn this “led to them not portraying their authentic selves, receiving inaccurate feedback and an inability to connect with their peers and belong.” Other factors include social isolation and engagement, underrepresentation, identity and belonging. Here we can really see the impact of the muddy pool on the fish contained within. Osemene went on to interview Black women to reveal the enablers and inhibitors of confidence. Her themes chimed with her lit review but also revealed insights such as the importance of feedback in fostering recognition and validating Black women.
Sandra Fawzi was interested in understanding self-confidence of individuals with long-term health conditions or disabilities. Her narrative literature review findings validated the insights the EDI model of self-confidence offers to this group of people. Competence, Connectedness and Authenticity all play out in their own way for this group. For example, Fawzi says “Connectedness underscores the importance of supportive social environments, where research demonstrates the profound influence of social determinants on confidence in managing health conditions. Interventions aimed at fostering inclusive environments and supportive networks are crucial for empowering individuals with disabilities.” Fawzi built on her review findings, exploring strategies for building confidence by interviewing individuals returning to work after cancer. She identified five themes which were largely around connecting with others but also included goal setting and redefining roles to fit their new identities.
Najmu Sehar Shafqat explored the self-confidence of Muslim women who visibly display their faith. It is important to acknowledge the difficulties faced by minoritised groups, which Shafat’s research did, but it also highlighted how religion and spirituality can enhance self-confidence through various mechanisms. She states that the research “stresses the need to align internal beliefs and values, develop competence through training and practice, and foster supportive relationships and a sense of belonging to promote self-confidence among hijabi women.” To further her literature review findings, she interviewed early-career Muslim women who wear the hijab in the workplace. Her key findings and recommendations felt positively encouraging; finding that career confidence originates from striking a balance between professional competence and adhering to their religious and personal beliefs.
Elif Duygu Demirci explored confidence and neurodiversity in the workplace. A topic that features regularly in my coaching room. Demirci’s work concluded with an eemphasis on a holistic approach for fostering confidence, and the iimportance of inclusive environments for neurodiverse employees. I would certainly echo these findings from the many coaching conversations I have had with neurodivergent workers. As with many recommendations for neurodivergent individuals, these will also benefit other workers too.
So far you may have been thinking that we have been focusing more on the fish than the pool. It is critical to understand the experiences of different groups in large organisations, as without this, it is more difficult to drive change that will create better working conditions for any particular group (notwithstanding that within any group there will be huge variances). It is also impossible to understand the fish, without due consideration to the pond. The EDI model that informed these research projects, takes something of a systems approach to confidence. It acknowledges that confidence is a social construct – we are impacted by those around us. All of the studies discuss more than the individual. For example, Shafqat’s research also references that organisations need to prioritize cultural sensitivity, religious inclusion and personal development.
We know that it’s important to understand both. We also know from our client experience that in the same way you and I as individuals can lose confidence, a team or an organisation can lose confidence. Something happens to make an individual, team or organisation spiral down in confidence.
To understand this better, we also supported two student researchers to explore team and organisational confidence. Saiful Adam Bin Saiful Mazril and Shuet Yee Song took up these challenges, respectively. They both concluded there are no literature definitions of team confidence or organisational confidence. Song was able to identify themes and subthemes relating to what makes a confident organization. Mazril drew on research around collective efficacy to inform his literature review, before conducting interviews with individuals to understand seven factors that contribute to being an authentically confident team. We’ll share these with you in due course, or you can get in touch if you want to hear more about our work with teams and organizations.
Under the brilliant supervision of Rachel, each and every student rose to the challenge and delivered really interesting projects and did themselves proud. The challenge was set, and they delivered for sure. Our relationship with Dr Colleen Addicott and her team at Herts continues on in 2025, providing mutually beneficial opportunities for students and Zest alike. In rising to the challenge, and building on our evidence base, we continue to improve our client solutions. The important part about our research is that it is set in real life (work). We are always open to engaging our clients in research, and help you understand your own team and organisational confidence better. Get in touch if you want to chat!
Author: Dr. Anna Kane – Founder of Zest Psychology
