Do you act like an entrepreneur? There are 22 million single-person business owners in the U.S. that operate with no employees. There are many who undoubtedly feel that a true entrepreneur is characterized simply by the level of risk or size of the investment required.

What can you do when insecurities at work limit your self-confidence on the job and threaten your career progress?

What to do about insecurities at work

We give our insecurities at work a variety of labels. For instance, we may refer to inferiority, inadequacies, lacking self-confidence, and other descriptors for a problem that keeps us from experiencing success at work.

A brief look at three qualities shared by influential leaders in their organizations

When does the opportunity to lead and influence employees arise?

The opportunity to lead and influence your people comes as one's career progresses. It may come about as you’re building a business, assigned to lead a team, or when offered a management role within your organization.

You can take the steps necessary to develop expertise at your job and enjoy the career benefits.

Why is it important to become an expert at your job? I've learned that developing expertise at one's job is consistent with career success. Moreover, I've watched employees in different fields accomplish this goal in the early, middle, and even later stages of their careers. Thus, if you are looking for a promotion or raise, you have to prove you can add more value to the organization. The best way to do this is to continually feed your career with skills and knowledge that show you are worth the raise and promotion.

Your greatest financial assets could help you start improving your career tomorrow? A few years ago, I read a magazine article that shared the results of an informal online survey. The question was, “What do you consider to be your greatest financial asset?”

Obviously, not every job is a career opportunity, but before you quit, maybe your current job deserves further consideration

What is a career opportunity? A career opportunity traditionally refers to a job that provides a chance for you to use your training, develop additional skills, and have a realistic potential for future advancement. I have observed that individuals who identify their job as a career opportunity tend to be more productive, perform better, and advance further than those who don't.

Are you using your time on the job to demonstrate your readiness for advancement at work?

Job Tenure and career advancement

Job tenure is not automatically a determining factor in management’s career advancement decisions. However, it can tip the scales in your favor under the right circumstances.

Four changes in mindset are necessary to begin thinking like a successful business owner

A business owner's transition from an employee mindset is imperative for launching a successful business startup. As an employee, you may have long dreamed of starting a business, setting your schedule, and determining your business's priorities.

Courage is often required when employees endeavor to contribute to their organization. Courage is not always about heroic actions with life and death consequences. Sometimes, it takes courage to contribute to the organization and risk failure at work. What you contribute to the organization will ultimately determine your opportunities for career advancement. However, as an employee, it may take courage to make new decisions, assert yourself, share new ideas and risk others’ criticisms.

Maturity at work is essential to demonstrating your value to the organization. It can help earn the respect of co-workers, strengthen teamwork, build better customer relations, and garner support for further career advancement. However, despite the apparent advantages of mature behavior at work, immaturity is a common problem in the workplace.