Why do I still doubt myself even though I’m a senior leader?

Why self-doubt in senior leadership is more common than you think.

Why do I still doubt myself even though I’m a senior leader? It’s a question I hear more often than you might expect.

I’m talking about capable, experienced, well-regarded people. Senior managers, SLT members, executive team members, board members, managing directors and chief executives. People who have worked hard, proved themselves, earned respect and reached a level where, from the outside, you might assume they feel completely sorted.

Bulletproof, perhaps.

Or, as I sometimes think of it, Teflon-like. Nothing sticks. No nerves. No second-guessing. No awkward little 3am thought loop about whether they said the right thing in that meeting.

Except that’s not what I see.

I come across many senior leaders who carry a low-level discomfort. They question themselves after interactions. They worry about whether they landed their message. They wonder whether they were heard, whether they sounded credible, whether they were engaging enough, or whether everyone else in the room secretly has a stronger grip on things.

And that can feel confusing.

Because surely confidence should rise with seniority, shouldn’t it? Surely by the time someone reaches a senior role, all that uncertainty should have quietly packed its bags and left the building?

Not necessarily.

A few years ago, I worked with a female leader who was moving into a board role. On paper, she was more than ready. She was experienced, knowledgeable about the organisation and had absolutely earned her seat at the table.

But the new role asked something different of her.

It wasn’t just about doing the work anymore. It was about being heard in a more senior space. It was about landing her message, influencing others, communicating with credibility and showing up as a leader in a way that felt clear, confident and authentic.

That’s when the self-doubt started to surface.

Not because she lacked ability. Not because she was suddenly in the wrong room. But because the rules around her had changed.

Let’s look at why this happens—why self-doubt can show up just as you move into a bigger, more visible, or more strategic role. And, just as importantly, what might help when it starts getting in the way of how you feel, lead, or communicate at work.

Because self-doubt at a senior level does not mean you are failing.

Very often, it means you are stretching.

Why moving from doing the work to being the leader can trigger self-doubt

Many leaders build confidence through doing.

They solve problems. They lead teams. They hit deadlines. They keep things moving. They know how to get stuck in, make things happen and prove their value through action.

There is real comfort in that.

You can look back at the end of the day and see what you have done. The decision made. The meeting handled. The deadline met. The tricky problem sorted. Tick, tick, tick.

That kind of confidence has evidence to back it up.

But senior leadership often asks for something different.

At a certain point, the job becomes less about being the person who gets everything done and more about being the person who shapes the direction. You are no longer just there to roll up your sleeves. You are there to provide vision, make judgement calls, influence other people and hold the bigger picture.

And that can feel oddly exposing.

Because the evidence is less immediate. You may not get the same neat end-of-day proof that says: “Yes, I’ve added value there.”

Instead, you might find yourself wondering:

Did I land that message?

Did I sound credible?

Did I influence the room?

Did I communicate the vision clearly enough?

Did people actually hear what I meant?

That is a very different kind of confidence challenge.

It is also why self-doubt can surface at the very moment when someone appears to be progressing. From the outside, it looks like success. A bigger role. A more senior title. A seat at the table.

But on the inside, the person may be adjusting to a new version of leadership where their value is no longer measured only by effort, output and execution.

It is measured by presence, judgement, communication and impact.

That shift can make even very capable leaders question things they have never questioned before. Their voice. Their style. Their ability to be heard. Their ability to land a message without sounding forced or over-rehearsed.

I have worked with leaders who worry they won’t be relatable enough, engaging enough or “senior” enough in the way they speak. Some even start questioning their accent, their tone or whether they sound like they belong in the room.

And that is worth pausing on.

Because very often, the issue is not that the leader lacks credibility. It is that the new situation has triggered a doubt about whether their credibility will be recognised by others.

That is a different thing.

A leader can be experienced, capable and respected, while still feeling unsure about how to show up in a new context. The discomfort is real, but it is not always reliable evidence.

Sometimes it simply means the stakes have changed.

Continues:

Bit Famous works with businesses and organisations
to help them communicate with confidence.

By Penny Haslam

MD and Founder - Bit Famous

Workplace Confidence

FREE resources for leaders and people professionals from Penny Haslam and Bit Famous

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How to know if self-doubt is affecting your leadership confidence and what to do about it

Self-doubt at a senior level is not always obvious.

It might show up as over-preparation, slower decision-making, people-pleasing, perfectionism or replaying conversations long after they have finished.

Sometimes it shows up physically too: poor sleep, a racing heart or that familiar feeling that you are functioning well on the outside while quietly running too hot on the inside.

If self-doubt starts shaping how you speak, decide, lead or recover from work, it is worth paying attention to.

So what can help?

The answer is rarely to tell yourself to “be more confident” and hope for the best. Much more useful is to understand what is triggering the doubt, where it might have come from and what practical support will stop it quietly running the show.

Here are some ideas to start with.

1. Remember, you’re not the only one

First, remember you are not the only one.

You can be senior, successful and respected, but still experience self-doubt, imposter feelings or low-level discomfort. Those things do not disappear just because your job title changes.

It is easy to assume everyone else is completely confident because they look polished from the outside. They may sound certain in meetings. They may appear calm under pressure. They may look as if nothing sticks.

But you do not know what is happening beneath the surface. Plenty of capable, high-achieving people quietly second-guess themselves too. So if self-doubt shows up, try not to treat it as proof that you are behind. It may simply be part of being human in a role with more pressure, visibility and responsibility.

2. Follow the old thread

If you worry that you will not be heard, will not land your message or do not sound “right”, pause and follow the old thread.

Ask yourself: when did I first think that? Who put that idea in my mind? Is it actually true?

That doubt may feel current because it has been triggered by a meeting, a presentation, or a more senior role. But the belief underneath it may be much older.

Perhaps someone once commented on your voice, accent, background, or style. Perhaps you learned early on that you had to be perfect to be taken seriously. Following the thread helps you separate an old belief from the reality in front of you.

3. Develop greater self-awareness

A leader’s role is not just strategy, execution, objectives and vision. It also involves looking at yourself.

That does not mean overthinking every tiny reaction. Nobody needs a full internal inquiry because they felt a bit wobbly in a meeting. It means noticing when self-doubt is triggered and how it affects your behaviour.

One leader I worked with noticed she felt jealous of a junior colleague who seemed to be having more impact in meetings than she did. That could have taken her somewhere unhelpful. She could have pulled them down a peg or quietly shrunk their confidence.

Instead, she noticed the feeling and chose to help them excel. That was much more in line with her values. Self-awareness gave her enough space to lead well rather than react out of insecurity.

4. Ask what it’s costing you

Self-doubt needs attention when it starts costing you more than the occasional uncomfortable moment.

It might show up as perfectionism, people-pleasing or catastrophising. It might slow down your decision-making. It might stop you speaking clearly, taking up space or trusting your judgement.

Sometimes it becomes physical too. Poor sleep. A racing heart. A feeling that you are functioning well on the outside, but quietly running too hot on the inside.

That is not something to simply push through. High achievement is wonderful, but not if it is powered by constant fear, pressure or the need to prove yourself again and again.

5. Ask other high achievers what they experience

There is real value in asking people you respect about their own confidence, imposter feelings or self-doubt.

Not in a dramatic “please reveal your deepest fears over a sandwich” way. But trusted conversations with peers, allies or people in your wider industry can be incredibly reassuring.

You may discover that people you admire have also wondered whether they were the right person in the room. They may have felt uncertainty at a career turning point, after a promotion or when stepping into a more visible role.

That does not solve everything overnight. But it does break the illusion that everyone else is breezing through while you are the only one thinking, “How did I get here?”

6. Get support you can trust

You do not need to go around telling everyone you are riddled with self-doubt. In many situations, that may not feel useful, wise or appropriate.

But you do need somewhere safe to talk honestly, take stock and get perspective. That might be trusted peers, allies, mentors or contacts in your wider professional circle.

This is also why many leaders seek out executive coaching. Not because they need fixing, but because senior leadership can be lonely, complex and exposing.

A good coaching conversation gives you private space to reflect, notice patterns, test assumptions and stay accountable to the kind of leader you want to be.

7. Use the three As, awareness, acknowledgement and acceptance

A useful way to start is with three words: awareness, acknowledgement and acceptance.

Awareness means noticing the self-doubt when it appears, rather than letting it quietly steer your behaviour.

Acknowledgement means naming it honestly: “This is self-doubt showing up.” Not drama. Not failure. Just information.

Acceptance means recognising that self-doubt may be part of you, without letting it run the show. The aim is not to become bulletproof. The aim is to understand what is happening, reduce its grip and make better choices about how you speak, lead and show up.

How to build confidence as a senior leader without pretending to be bulletproof

Self-doubt does not mean you are in the wrong role.

It does not mean you have somehow slipped through the net, fooled everyone or reached a level where you are about to be found out. More often, it means you are growing into a role that asks more of your judgement, presence and communication.

The aim is not to become bulletproof. A leader with no doubt at all can be quite hard work, can’t they?

The aim is to notice the doubt, understand where it comes from and stop it quietly making decisions on your behalf.

Because when self-doubt is left unexamined, it can hold you back. It can make you over-prepare, under-speak, second-guess yourself or work far harder than you need to in order to feel safe.

But when you bring awareness to it, talk it through and get the right support, it becomes much easier to lead from a steadier place.

If self-doubt is making it harder to lead, communicate, or show up at work, executive coaching offers a practical way to build confidence and work through the moments that matter.

If you want to talk about executive coaching for senior leaders, get in touch at hello@bitfamous.co.uk or visit our executive coaching page.