Writing Confidence at Work, Part 1: Subjectivity

Possessing a confident mindset matters to writing success at work. Writing ranks as one of the most  common activities in most jobs, so we can't spend even a moment of our workday feeling uncertain about our writing capability or apprehensive about approaching a big writing task. That's why, starting with this installment, WORDS ON THE LINE starts this six-part series dedicated to the concept of writing confidence. 

Why do so many good writers, or at least adequate ones, lack confidence in their writing? I meet them all the time in professional workshops. They openly express their insecurities about the quality of their reports, analyses, or proposals. They wish they could compose faster, fluidly, painlessly. If writing amounts to most of their daily work, then their job is torture.

Confidence is an attitude. And attitudes are subjective, at least as others perceive us. One person's idea of an assertive tone is another's aggressive, one's straightforward another's rude, one's humility another's disengaged. It would help people who beat up themselves over their perceived inadequate writing skills to start with this mindset. Even the most celebrated writers in the world have received bad reviews.

Writing style is also as subjective as any art, song, cuisine, or fashion. We cannot deny that some documents are well written and other poorly written, but the same well written document for one reader might not do for another. Start with that thought the next time you write something important on the job.