Article: You have little hope of gaining authority if you don't believe in yourself. If you constantly second-guess yourself, you will not seem authoritative to anyone. If you hear your voice in your head telling you that you can't do it, don't listen to these internal negative messages. Believe that you can do anything and those around you will begin to notice your confidence. Even if you get negative feedback at work, remember how sure and capable you feel about your job requirements. Don't let anyone make you doubt yourself. It is also helpful to be well-informed about your job, your position, and how you fit within the company. Know your place and show your coworkers and bosses that you can do what is required of you. When you go to work, dress to impress but don't go over the top. Figure out what is respectable for your particular position and work from there. Don't look like a carbon copy of everyone around you, however. Dress for success, but also remember to follow your own style, and feel confident in what you wear. The better you look and feel, the more authoritative you will appear. For example, don't show up to work in wrinkled jeans and a t-shirt where people in authority positions wear nice suits and dress clothes every day. Dress for the position and environment you are in. When you are new at a job or position, or if you are just trying to gain more authority in your current position, make sure you know what responsibilities you have. Be clear about what your job description is and what is expected of you. If you are in a managerial position, make sure you move projects forward, look after your fellow employees, and resolve problems that arise that you are responsible for. When you make these decisions, make them with confidence. Don't second-guess yourself; you have the right to make choices. As long as you are clear about what your job entails, you can exert as much authority as your position will allow, if you are confident in your actions. One of the main ways to lose authority in the workplace is to act as if you are the most important person in the room. Even if your job description says you are higher up in the company than everyone else, don't act like it. Try to positively influence the workflow of those around you without seeming self-important. Strive to always be mindful of how your job relates to those around you. This doesn't mean you should act as if you are not relevant. There is a balance between acting confident and in charge and acting self-important; expecting everyone to bow down to you and your authority. This will likely make your coworkers and employees lose respect and faith in your abilities. Whether it is with your boss, coworkers, or employees. When you interact with anyone at work, be on your best behavior. Don't make inappropriate comments or make anyone feel uncomfortable with your interactions. Put your best foot forward. You can't do this if you aren't mindful of your interactions with others. Make sure your projects, reports, or other work documents look as professional as possible. These presentations are how you interact most with your coworkers and bosses, so make sure they are clean and well designed. This is true of e-mails as well. In the current workplace, you will likely interact with your coworkers through e-mail and other electronic communication on a daily basis. Make sure you are respectful as well as neat and grammatically correct in your messages. This will make you seem more confident and authoritative. There are times when you will be called on to help with a problem at work. Instead of being timid about a solution or worrying about overstepping your bounds, learn to speak up. If you think you have a solution to a problem, express it to those around you. They can be coworkers, employees, or bosses. Try coming up with alternate solutions to problems. If there is a problem that is an "either/or" issue, try to make it a "this and that" solution.

What is a summary?
Be confident in yourself. Dress for success. Be confident of your own authority. Don't appear self-important. Make a good impression. Learn to speak up.