Why More Knowledge Feels Like Less Confidence (#271)

The Confident Leader

BOOST YOUR LEADERSHIP IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

A leader I coach recently said, “The more I grow in this role, the more I realize how much I don’t know. That makes me feel even more uncertain.” 

That’s more common that most leaders think. Mainly because they think they are the only one experiencing that sensation. 

News flash: You’re not broken. You’re growing. 

“Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.” — Abraham Lincoln

This Week’s Edition

A Dunning-Kruger study showed that people with low ability tend to overestimate their competence. Conversely high performers underestimate theirs. 

Clarify Your Thinking

One of the paradoxes of leadership is that the more informed you become, the more complex everything appears. 

• You see risk you didn’t notice before. 
• You more fully recognize the weight of your decisions. 
• Your acutely aware of what’s outside your control. 

That awareness is a sign of growth, but it can trigger doubt. If you don’t know how to cope with that leadership doubt, you’re susceptible to adopting coping mechanisms that damage your leadership reputation. 

I coached a CEO last month who said, “Early in my career, I made decisions quickly. Sometimes blindly. But now? I’m second-guessing myself more than ever.” 

While it might feel like you are taking a step backward, I help leaders see this as a sign of leadership growth. 

Think back to your earlier days. It was easy to feel confident when you didn’t know what was at stake. Meaning, when the view is limited, the path feels simple. 

Yet, the more your perspective expands (broadens, lengthens, and deepens) the more you realize that leadership is layered, nuanced, and consequential. This awareness is an asset not a liability.

Old Thinking:
I used to be more confident. Now that I see the risks and variables, I question my judgment. Maybe I’m not cut out for this level. 

New Thinking:
I’m not less confident—I’m more aware. And my growing awareness is a tool, not a threat. I can lead through complexity with greater clarity and conviction. 

Thoughts Lead to Actions

Confidence doesn’t come from knowing it all. It comes from knowing what matters, and being decisive in the face of doubt. 

Here’s how to regain your confidence in seasons of complexity where all you see is risk: 

Step 1: Redefine Competence 
Remind yourself of:

• Your ability to navigate past challenges.
• What you know.
• Your past successes.

Step 2: Return to Basics
Remind yourself of those things you use to make decisions:

• Your purpose.
• Your values. 
• Your vision. 

Step 3: Give Yourself Time 

• Leadership Thinking Time allows you to reflect 
• High-level thinking requires margin. 
• Protect time weekly to review your decisions.

Confidence grows through reflection, not reaction. 

The most confident leaders aren’t the ones with all the answers. They’re the ones who’ve learned to move forward navigating uncertainty. Curiously, the journey through uncertainty renders a vast amount of information and knowledge. 

Boost Your Performance

In this week’s video, I walk through the leadership paradox: why more knowledge can feel like less confidence, and how rebuilding trust in yourself helps you lead through the unknown. 

What’s Your Opinion?

When have you felt less confident the more you learned? And what helped you move through it? Share it with me at robin.pou@robinpou.com. 

If you are going to be a leader, you might as well be a good one. Don’t let doubt count you out. Have a confident week!

Robin Pou, Chief Advisor and Strategist

We live to make bad leadership extinct so forward this newsletter to others who strive to be confident leaders. 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONFIDENT LEADER

Let’s Connect

Follow me on Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter.

What is “The Confident Leader”?

During the Covid-19 Pandemic, I began a video series called “Panic or Plan?” It was designed to equip leaders to navigate the doubt they experienced and to rise in the confidence they needed to lead during turbulent times. It took off. I then started this newsletter to equip leaders in the same fashion each week for the doubt that crashes across the bow of their leaderSHIP.