3 Simple Steps for Battling Imposter Syndrome as a New Leader

Can you build leadership confidence?

Recently, a client of mine asked me, “How do you develop confidence? Is it something you’re born with or can you learn it?”

I’m so glad they asked.

Confidence is something you can learn. And it’s such an important skill to have, not only as a new leader but as a human being. Life is so much easier when you’re confident in yourself and your choices.

Today we’re going to be looking at three simple steps on how to build leadership confidence. Yes, even you.

1. Make a list of what you’ve achieved

This can be personal, professional, volunteer work, hobbies, whatever. It’s so easy to focus on all the things we haven’t done yet and want to do. You have to make a concerted effort to look back at what you have done.

Think about the projects you’ve completed at work, the milestones you’ve reached in your personal life, the times you’ve stepped out of your comfort zone to try something new, or the instances when you’ve shown kindness to others.

Don’t forget about the little victories, either. Perhaps you managed to keep a plant alive (which is no small feat for me personally) or cooked a new recipe that turned out great. These are all achievements worth celebrating!

Not only that, but take it a step further and make reviewing your achievements a habit. Take a few minutes every day or once a week to review everything you’ve accomplished recently. This could be during your morning coffee, your commute home, or as part of a winding-down routine before bed.

You can write it down if you want (which I recommend) or just think it through.

Consider keeping an “achievement journal” where you record all your successes. It doesn’t have to be fancy—a simple notebook will do, or you could use a digital note-taking app if you prefer. I use Notion every day as a sort of bullet journal to write in every morning and evening. Just a quick minute to jot down important thoughts, achievements, and self-affirmations

I recommend you write it down so that when you’re having those moments of self-doubt, you can look back at all your written accomplishments for a little pick-me-up. You can see how far you’ve come instead of focusing on how far you still want to go.

Which can also help make the future path not seem so daunting because, hey, look at what you’ve already accomplished!

And don’t just list your achievements—write a little about each one.

What was the challenge?

How did you overcome it?

What did you learn?

This will give you a sense of progress, and it’ll also help you understand that you’re capable of overcoming obstacles and achieving your goals.

I work with my clients to design a simple, regular habit like this to keep their achievements top of mind for themselves. We work together to figure out the cadence and level of detail that work best for them, and then refine the practice as we learn more about what works and what doesn’t.

In addition to this, celebrate your achievements with others. Sharing your successes not only multiplies the joy but also reinforces your sense of accomplishment. So go ahead and share your wins, no matter how small, with your friends, family, or teammates. They’ll be happy to celebrate with you!

2. Set some short-term, realistic goals for yourself.

It can be personal or professional. Maybe you want to take a new workout class or try a new local restaurant. Planning these goals and actually accomplishing them will give you a fantastic sense of accomplishment and a quick boost to your confidence.

By setting some realistic short-term goals, you can give yourself some quick wins for an ego boost when you really need it. These goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). This helps to ensure that your goals are clear and reachable.

It can be as small as sending a birthday card for a friend or family member (ideally, when they have a birthday soon), but if you want to just send one for an un-birthday, you go right ahead. (Who doesn’t love getting mail that isn’t a bill?)

Maybe you could even consider writing a heartfelt, personalized message inside the card—something that tells them how much they mean to you.

This act of kindness won’t just make their day, but yours too. Doing good deeds for others can actually boost our own mood and self-esteem.

As part of my program for new leaders, I work with my clients to practice setting short, measurable goals. The sense of accomplishment when they

Your goals can be personal or professional. Maybe you want to try a new workout class. Do a bit of research and find out what kinds of classes are available in your area that fit your interests—be it yoga, Zumba, kickboxing, or Pilates. Then, set a goal to attend a certain number of classes per week or month.

Or maybe you want to try a new local restaurant. You could turn this into a mini-adventure by setting a goal to try a new dish each time you visit, or aim to visit every restaurant in your town over a certain period of time.

Let me know in the comments what small, simple goal you’re going to set for yourself this week. Writing it down is putting it out into the universe to make it happen!

On the professional front, your goal could be as simple as completing a work project ahead of the deadline or reading a business book to enhance your skills.

Or maybe you’ve been meaning to network more, so you could set a goal to reach out to a certain number of new contacts each week.

Planning these goals and actually accomplishing them will give you a fantastic sense of accomplishment and a quick boost to your confidence. Each time you achieve a goal, no matter how small, it’s a testament to your ability to commit and follow through.

Before I get to the last step, if you’ve found this helpful or informative, feel free to pass it along to a friend.

3. Do some professional development.

Okay, let’s talk about professional development. Now, don’t roll your eyes at me—I’m not suggesting anything super intense. I’m talking about little bite-sized pieces of learning that can fit into your day as easily as that morning cup of coffee.

Professional development is great for building leadership confidence. It helps you learn new skills, and yes, it even makes you sound really smart in meetings. “Oh, this? Just something I picked up in a recent webinar,” you’ll say casually, as everyone else oohs and aahs.

So where can you get this magical confidence booster? Well, here are a few quick activities to get you started:

1. Read a blog post: There are tons of fantastic blogs out there covering every topic under the sun. Find a few relevant to your industry or role and make a habit of reading an article during your lunch break or before bed. You could start with my own blog. (wink wink, nudge nudge)
2. Watch a YouTube video: YouTube isn’t just for cat videos anymore. You can also look for TED Talks on leadership, tutorials on specific skills you want to enhance, or interviews with successful leaders in your field.
3. Listen to a podcast: Podcasts are perfect for those moments when you can’t necessarily read or watch something—like during your commute or while doing chores. “HBR IdeaCast” and “The Leadership Toolbox” are great ones to start with.
4. Take a short online course: Sites like Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning offer short courses on a ton of subjects. You could learn everything from strategic decision-making to the art of persuasion.
5. Join a webinar or online workshop. Keep an eye out for relevant webinars or workshops happening in your industry. These often offer the added bonus of networking opportunities.

Clients inside my new leader program have access to an extensive list of resources—books, online courses, and tutorials—all curated to help them expand their knowledge as leaders and give little confidence boosts with the new knowledge they now have.

Remember, the goal here isn’t to become an expert overnight—it’s to continuously learn and grow. So don’t stress if you can’t do all of these things every day. Even just picking one activity to do regularly can make a big difference. Before you know it, you’ll be dropping knowledge bombs left and right, and your confidence as a leader will grow exponentially.

Now that you know how to build leadership confidence with some quick wins, the next step is to learn how to embrace failure as a leader. Once you know failure is okay—and even necessary—to be successful, that’s when your confidence will really take off. Have you read my blog on delegation?

Thanks! Talk to you soon!