Even the world’s best CEOs struggle with self-doubt.
A 2024 Korn Ferry study found that 71% of CEOs admit to feeling like imposters at times—even after years of success.
If you’re a new CEO or Founder-turned-CEO, you’ve probably felt it too.
The pressure is enormous. You’re expected to lead, make high-stakes decisions, and inspire confidence—when the reality is that you’re still figuring things out yourself.
The mistake I see being consistently made is the idea that confidence is something people have or don’t have, like it’s an innate character trait. Perhaps some personality types are like that, but the breakthrough I had with this was when I realised that confidence is something you can build and manage yourself, even in the most daunting of environments.
Obviously self-confidence is quite important for a CEO…
Confidence isn’t just about feeling good—it directly impacts how you lead, how your team performs, and how your company scales.
Confident CEOs make faster decisions which means they can learn quicker. Indecision slows momentum. The most effective leaders trust themselves, act and learn fast.
Confidence is contagious. Neuroscience shows that leaders’ emotions influence their teams—if you’re steady, your people will be too (this is the mirroring effect).
But overconfidence is just as dangerous. The best CEOs balance self-belief with humility, staying open to feedback. This is why EQ is so important to be an effective leader.
The Psychology of CEO Confidence
The ability to lead with confidence is rooted in psychology. Research shows that three key psychological factors determine how well CEOs handle pressure and self-doubt.
Self-efficacy – Your belief in your ability to solve problems and lead under uncertainty. Studies show that CEOs with high self-efficacy are more likely to take smart risks, persist through challenges, and trust their instincts.
Resilience – The ability to bounce back from setbacks. Boards cite this as a top CEO quality because it signals to employees that the company will weather challenges.
Imposter syndrome – A staggering 71% of CEOs admit they sometimes feel unqualified for the job. But self-doubt isn’t a weakness—it’s a sign that you care about getting it right. The best leaders channel doubt into learning and growth.
Confidence isn’t about knowing everything—it’s about trusting yourself to work it out.
So how do you build self-confidence?
There’s a lot to unpack here, but as a starter, here are 4 tips that you can make a start with today:
- Track your wins – Keep a record of past decisions that worked. Success builds confidence. I never speak to CEO’s that reflect on what they’ve achieved… they ALWAYS seem to look at what’s not working rather than what they did well!
- Find a trusted sounding board – A mentor, coach, or peer helps you see what you’re doing right. This is so important. Who you surround yourself with will have a huge impact on your mindset. Who do you speak to that’s experiencing similar things? Who do you confide in that understands what you’re going through?
- Challenge imposter thoughts – Doubt is normal. Recognize it, but don’t let it control your actions. The key here is not to try and remove the doubt or let it define you, learn to understand it better (when it happens, what triggers it etc…) and then create ways to navigate through it (back to the importance of EQ…)
- Focus on what only you can do – Stop trying to control everything or solve every problem! Lack of self-confidence often manifests in CEO’s trying to get further into the detail. I can understand why – when we feel unconfident we often see knowledge and control as the way through. But CEO’s need to operate at a higher level. The more you go down into the weeds, the less clear your long term vision is.
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