Leaders are not immune from a crisis of confidence

A common theme in my coaching sessions with tech leaders is confidence, or rather the lack thereof. You might think it odd that confidence is such a frequent theme for senior, experienced people, but i've come to realise that a crisis of confidence can happen regardless of a person's capability or experience. This often manifests itself for my clients in situations such as starting a new job, dealing with imposter syndrome, working with a new team, or working on a challenging new project within an existing role. The challenge lies in not only recognising low confidence but also finding ways to overcome it.

I think it is useful to think of confidence as an outcome rather than a driver; feeling less confident happens because of certain circumstances that need addressing first before improvement takes place. Digging deeper into these underlying causes enables us to identify actions that lead towards increased assurance.

When discussing confidence with my clients, I find it useful to understand its meaning within their specific context. By exploring this context and breaking it down into smaller parts, we can identify areas where we may need support or guidance. For example, when starting a new job, building up one's professional network and understanding expectations from bosses and peers could help boost self-confidence. Often low confidence stems from uncertainty about one's place or purpose in an environment, why am i here? what does good look like? what are my real expectations of myself?.

To illustrate how confidence can be gained incrementally, consider learning to ride a bike as a child. Confidence is built through small steps, pushing ourself along for short distances, having someone else steer while we pedal and eventually being able to push off from the start on our own. These elements accumulate and contribute to overall self-assurance.

For me, tackling low confidence requires identifying its root cause within our specific situation before implementing incremental measures for improvement which ultimately alleviate those feelings of doubt. Through this process with my coaching clients comes greater understanding and growth in their personal development journey.

Work with me

Does this sound familiar? I have helped coach people through low confidence and imposter syndrome. The best first step is a conversation. Fill in the form below and I'll come back to you in one working day, or click on my calendly link to book an intro call.