The Truth About Confidence – And Why It Matters More Than Ever

Why Confidence Is a Game Changer in Business and Life 

Confidence. It’s that one quality we all wish we had more of. Yet for many leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals, it often feels like something that belongs to someone else.
Not because we’re not capable. But because somewhere along the way, we’ve absorbed stories, labels, and expectations that made us question our own voice, worth, and power.

Here’s the truth I’ve learned through three decades in business and life: confidence is not reserved for a lucky few. It’s not something you’re either born with or not. Confidence is built; choice by choice, moment by moment. And the ripple effect when we choose to build it? It can change everything.

Confidence isn’t just a personal struggle. It’s a global one. Studies suggest that up to 85% of people experience low self-esteem at some point in their lives. That’s not just a statistic, it’s almost everyone you know, including the person in the mirror.

It shows up in the boardroom when we secondguess our decisions. It’s there in meetings when we hesitate to speak up. It lingers when we shrink back from opportunities, despite our track record and experience.

For women especially, confidence often takes a hit during big transitions. Stepping into leadership, navigating parenthood, returning from burnout, or managing career pivots. Some research shows women’s confidence can drop by 30% during these times. But here’s the good news: just because your confidence dips doesn’t mean it’s gone. It simply means it’s ready to be rebuilt.

Confidence matters because it changes the way we show up. It gives us the courage to speak our truth, ask for the pay rise, step into the new role, launch the business, or set the boundaries that protect our wellbeing. It influences how we lead, how we connect, and how we build cultures that thrive.

How Confidence Fuels Leadership and Culture 

In leadership, confidence is far more than a personal trait. It becomes a catalyst for the entire organisation. When leaders operate with confidence, they make clearer decisions, communicate with conviction, and inspire trust in those around them. Teams feel safer to innovate, share ideas, and take calculated risks because they see those behaviours modelled at the top.

Confidence also directly shapes culture. A confident leader sets the tone for an environment where people feel valued and heard, rather than silenced or overlooked. It encourages healthy debate, constructive feedback, and resilience when challenges arise. Instead of clinging to certainty, confident leaders admit what they don’t know and empower their teams to find solutions, creating a culture of collaboration and growth.

In contrast, a lack of confidence at the top can trigger ripple effects of hesitation, fear of failure, and micromanagement throughout an organisation. Great ideas get left unsaid. Talent stays hidden. The culture becomes one of survival rather than innovation.

When you, as a leader, commit to building and protecting your own confidence, you’re not just elevating yourself, you’re giving your entire team permission to step into their own potential. And that is where transformation happens.

What confidence is, and what it’s not. 

Somewhere along the way, confidence became confused with ego, arrogance, or pretending to have it all together. Let’s clear that up.

Confidence is not faking it until you make it.
It’s not arrogance or needing to be the loudest in the room.
It’s not about wearing a mask or acting like you’ve got it all figured out.

True confidence isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence. It’s the belief that you are enough as you are, combined with a willingness to keep learning and growing.

In my years as a CEO, mentor, and advisor, I’ve seen that real confidence comes from alignment, not appearance. It’s about showing up as you, not a polished version of who you think the world wants to see. And when leaders show up with that kind of confidence, teams feel it. Cultures shift. Businesses grow.

The imposter within 

Even the most successful people feel the sting of imposter syndrome. Research shows up to 82% of us experience it, including CEOs, founders, and leaders at the top of their game. I’ve felt it myself, from the shop floor at 16 to leading national retail brands. That inner voice whispering, Who do you think you are? never fully disappears.

But here’s what I’ve learned: confidence isn’t the absence of selfdoubt. It’s the decision to move forward despite it.

Rebuilding your confidence 

A lack of confidence can feel like carrying a heavy backpack filled with invisible weights; every doubt, every comparison, every “what if” slowing you down. But even a little confidence lightens the load.

When you start to believe in your own worth and trust your own abilities, you speak clearer. You lead with more purpose. You stop waiting for permission and start giving it to yourself.

And the most powerful part? Confidence is contagious. When you walk into a room with confidence. Authentic, grounded confidence, you shift the energy. You give others permission to be bold, to speak up, to believe in themselves. That’s the kind of leadership that builds not just businesses, but legacies.

Start where you are 

If you take one thing away from this article, let it be this: you are not lacking, you are learning. Confidence isn’t a destination; it’s a path. Every time you show up, speak up, or try again, you’re already building it.

Maybe you’re rebuilding after a setback. Maybe you’ve been dimming your light to make others more comfortable. Maybe you’re standing on the edge of a new opportunity but doubting whether you’re ready.

Wherever you are, this is your starting point. Not the moment you become confident, but the moment you decide to build it.

Because confidence isn’t for the chosen few. It’s for everyone willing to choose themselves.

Power tip: Confidence doesn’t mean having all the answers. It means trusting yourself enough to take the next step anyway. Start where you are, use what you have, and back yourself every time.

Written by Colleen Callander.
Have you read?
The World’s Best Medical Schools.
The World’s Best Universities.
The World’s Best International High Schools.
The World’s Best Business Schools.
The World’s Best Fashion Schools.
The World’s Best Hospitality And Hotel Management Schools.