Closing the Leadership Confidence Gap
/Struggling with confidence in your leadership role? Whether you’re a director or leading a team, the confidence gap is a challenge many leaders face. Understanding this gap is crucial—not just for your personal growth but also for effective leadership. At Fortem Coaching, we specialise in leadership coaching and career development to help you bridge this gap and unlock your full leadership potential.
What is the Confidence Gap in Leadership?
The confidence gap refers to the disparity between your actual abilities and the confidence you have in those abilities. It's a common issue for leaders, particularly those who have climbed the ranks quickly or face high expectations. Despite having the skills and experience to excel, self-doubt can creep in, leading to hesitation, uncertainty, and a reluctance to take risks.
Confidence vs. Competence: Understanding the Difference
It’s important to understand that confidence and competence are not the same thing. Competence is the actual ability to perform tasks effectively—it’s what you know and can do. Confidence, however, is the belief in your ability to perform those tasks, even when faced with challenges.
Many highly skilled leaders suffer from a confidence gap because they undervalue their abilities. This can stem from perfectionism, past experiences, or simply a lack of self-awareness. The result? You may hesitate to share ideas in meetings, second-guess your decisions, or shy away from taking on new opportunities—all because you don’t feel confident enough, even though you’re perfectly capable.
Why Leadership Confidence Matters for Career Development
The confidence gap can profoundly impact your leadership effectiveness and career development. Here’s why closing the gap is essential:
Decision-Making: Leaders with low confidence often over-analyse or hesitate to make decisions, fearing they’ll make the wrong call. While caution has its place, indecision can be just as harmful, especially in fast-paced environments. Leaders need to make timely decisions, and confidence plays a crucial role in moving forward decisively.
Visibility and Influence: Confidence is critical to having a presence in the room. When leaders doubt themselves, they’re less likely to voice their ideas, challenge the status quo, or advocate for their team. This lack of visibility can limit opportunities for career advancement and weaken your influence within the organisation.
Team Morale: Leadership confidence (or the lack of it) affects team morale. If a leader consistently shows uncertainty, the team may mirror that behaviour, leading to a culture of hesitation and self-doubt. Confident leadership, however, inspires trust, clarity, and decisiveness in the team.
Recognising the Signs of a Confidence Gap
Before we can close the confidence gap, we need to recognise it. Ask yourself:
Do I often second-guess my decisions?
Do I hesitate to speak up in meetings, even when I have a good idea?
Do I feel like I’m not as capable as my peers despite my accomplishments?
Am I reluctant to take on new challenges or responsibilities?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, it’s likely that a confidence gap is holding you back. The good news is that recognising it is the first step toward overcoming it.
Strategies to Close the Confidence Gap in Leadership
So, how can you work on closing the confidence gap? Here are some practical strategies to help you bridge the gap between competence and confidence.
1. Embrace Continuous Learning
One of the best ways to build confidence is to continue expanding your knowledge and skills. Learning doesn’t stop when you reach a leadership position—in fact, that’s when it should accelerate. Take courses, seek coaching and mentorship, and engage in new experiences that challenge you to grow. As your competence increases, so will your confidence.
2. Challenge Negative Self-Talk
Self-doubt is often fuelled by negative inner dialogue. Start paying attention to how you talk to yourself when faced with challenges. Are you quick to think, “I’m not good enough” or “I’ll never get this right”? Reframe those thoughts with more positive, realistic affirmations. For example, replace “I can’t do this” with “I’ve faced bigger challenges before and succeeded.”
3. Act “As If”
There’s a psychological trick known as “acting as if”—behaving as if you already have the confidence you seek. Even if you don’t fully believe it yet, start acting like a confident leader. Speak up in meetings, take on challenging projects, and make decisions with authority. Over time, your actions will reinforce your belief in your abilities.
4. Celebrate Small Wins
Confidence isn’t built overnight; it results from accumulating small victories. Take time to acknowledge and celebrate even the minor successes. Did you handle a challenging conversation with ease? Close a deal? These moments are essential building blocks for your overall sense of confidence.
5. Seek Feedback
Sometimes, leaders lack confidence because they’re unsure how others perceive them. Seeking feedback—both positive and constructive—can help you gain a clearer understanding of your strengths and areas for improvement. Feedback gives concrete evidence that you are capable, which can significantly boost your confidence.
Case Study: Closing the Confidence Gap
Let’s look at a real-life example from one of our clients at Fortem Coaching.
Client Profile: Sarah, a senior manager at a medium-sized technology firm, struggled with confidence, particularly in high-stakes meetings with the executive team. Despite her extensive experience and deep field knowledge, Sarah often found herself second-guessing her decisions and staying silent when she should have spoken up.
The Challenge: Sarah’s lack of confidence was starting to affect her career development. She was passed over for a promotion because she didn’t project the leadership presence her company was looking for. She realised she needed to address this issue if she wanted to advance in her career.
The Coaching Process: Over a series of coaching sessions, we focused on identifying the root causes of Sarah’s confidence gap. We worked on challenging her negative self-talk, practising assertiveness techniques, and setting achievable goals to build her confidence gradually.
The Outcome: After six months, Sarah reported a significant improvement in her confidence levels. She started contributing more in meetings, took on a high-profile project that she would have previously avoided, and ultimately received the promotion she had been aiming for.
Sarah’s journey is a powerful reminder that confidence is not something you either have or don’t have—it’s something you can cultivate with the proper support and strategies.
The Long-Term Benefits of Closing the Confidence Gap
When you actively work on closing the confidence gap, the benefits will ripple across your professional and personal life. You’ll find yourself making decisions more swiftly, communicating more clearly, and feeling more comfortable in your leadership role. Over time, these changes will position you as a more effective leader who inspires confidence in others simply by showing it yourself.
Final Thoughts: Confidence is a Journey
Remember, building confidence is a journey, not a destination. Every leader faces moments of self-doubt, but the key is not to let those moments define you. By recognising the confidence gap and taking steps to close it, you’re enhancing your leadership and unlocking the potential for greater success.
Start small, take action, and watch as your confidence grows. After all, confidence isn’t about knowing it all—it’s about trusting that you’ll figure it out.
Next steps: "Are you ready to bridge your leadership confidence gap? Let’s discuss how coaching can help you cultivate the confidence to lead with clarity and conviction. Fortem Coaching offers leadership coaching and career development services across the UK. Book a consultation today and take the first step toward unlocking your potential."