Confidence at work: your questions answered
In this special edition of Decoding Confidence, I’ve answered your questions about confidence at work and what it really takes to build confident workplaces.
Confidence at work rarely grows in a neat, upward line. It plateaus, dips and rebuilds, and the things that shook it early in your career look very different by the time you’re leading. So this week I’m tackling the questions that come up most often, on plateaus, visibility, setbacks and energy.
The short answers are below. The full thinking, with stories and practical detail, is in the episode.
Table of contents
- How to move past a mid-career confidence plateau
- Building visibility without feeling like you’re selling yourself
- Rebuilding confidence after a setback
- Small habits that protect your leadership energy
- Submit your own question
- Resources and links
How to move past a mid-career confidence plateau
Early in our careers confidence tends to grow as we gain skills. But as I’ve worked towards mid to senior level I seem to have hit a confidence plateau and dip. What’s the best way to move past it?
In the episode, I talk about why this dip is so common and why it isn’t a sign that something’s wrong with you. Early on, confidence grows quickly because every new skill is visible progress. At mid to senior level the stakes rise, the problems get more ambiguous, and the easy wins dry up, so the plateau is often a sign you’re operating at a harder level rather than slipping back. The way through is to gather evidence of your impact, lean on a trusted support network, and meet yourself with compassion rather than harsh comparison.
Building visibility without feeling like you’re selling yourself
There’s a lot of advice about being more visible at work, but many people want to maintain quiet confidence rather than self-promotion. How can someone increase their visibility without feeling like they’re selling themselves all the time?
Visibility and self-promotion aren’t the same thing, and I unpack that distinction in the episode. You can raise your profile on your own terms by letting your work speak, documenting your impact, crediting and championing others, and building advocates who’ll speak about your contribution when you’re not in the room. Quiet confidence and visibility can absolutely coexist.
Rebuilding confidence after a setback
At mid-career level, setbacks can feel more visible and harder to recover from. What’s the most effective way to rebuild confidence after a professional setback or a decision that didn’t work out?
The most useful first step is to separate the event from your identity. A decision that didn’t work out is something you did, not who you are. In the episode I talk about replacing harsh self-talk with self-compassion, extracting the genuine learning, and rebuilding momentum through small, deliberate actions rather than waiting to feel ready again.
Small habits that protect your leadership energy
You’ve discussed how energy management affects confidence. I’m juggling constant meetings and decision-making. What are one or two small habits that genuinely protect leadership energy?
Energy is one of my favourite things to talk about, because it underpins so much of how confident we feel. In the episode I share a couple of small, practical habits, things like protecting short gaps between meetings to reset, and being ruthless about which decisions genuinely need you, so your energy goes where it matters most.
Submit your own question
Got a question about confidence or confident workplaces? You can submit it by emailing advita@decodingconfidence.com or DM me on LinkedIn, and it might feature in a future episode.
Resources and links
- Decoding Confidence: The 7 Habits of Confident Leaders, out now. Available from all online bookshops, or order a signed copy directly from my website.
If you want support with confidence, culture or internal communications in your organisation, get in touch: hello@commsrebel.com.