The hidden difference between confidence and self-belief (and why it matters for your career)
"I want to have more confidence in this new role."
My client Alexandra and I were discussing her coaching goals. She started a new high-pressure role in a new sector. She got the job because of her transferable skills and her experience.
I inquired what makes her think she needs more confidence.
"Am I doing well? Is this good enough? Am I doing enough? Do I belong?" she answers without hesitation.
Do you think you have the experience for this job? I ask.
"Absolutely", she says.
Many high-achieving professionals inevitably get promotions or new jobs with more responsibility and prestige. But then they land in that new role, and suddenly, they are in a high-pressure environment.
A nagging question emerges: "Am I doing enough?" They hesitate before they speak, apologise when it's unnecessary, or obsess over every detail before sending that e-mail.
This isn't always a lack of confidence. Often, it's a deeper, more fundamental challenge: a deficit in self-belief.
The terms "confidence" and "self-belief" are often used interchangeably, but understanding their distinction is essential. While confidence can fluctuate with external circumstances, self-belief provides an unshakeable internal foundation.
In this article, I'll explore:
Understanding self-belief vs. confidence.
Why this distinction matters for your career.
Practical strategies to strengthen self-belief and build confidence.
Understanding self-belief versus confidence
If you consult a dictionary, you get overlapping terms and no clear distinction between the two.
But there's an important distinction. Think of it this way:
Confidence is your assurance in your abilities to perform a specific task or achieve a particular outcome. It's about what you can do. You might feel confident giving a presentation after rehearsing or confident in your technical skills after years of practice.
Self-belief is your fundamental opinion about yourself – your inherent worth, your right to belong, and your capacity to navigate challenges regardless of immediate results. It's about who you are. (I chose the word self-belief for this article, but self-esteem, self-worth, and self-love are related terms.)
To illustrate this, consider the metaphor from professional tennis coach David Sammel:
Self-belief is the solid foundation of a wall. It needs to be robust, set in stone, providing unwavering support.
Confidence is the sand on top of that wall. Like sand, confidence will inevitably blow in and out. You'll experience periods of high confidence (after a successful project, or a positive review) and periods of low confidence (after a setback, critical feedback).
Top athletes exemplify this. They can lose several matches in a row, taking a hit to their confidence. But if their self-belief is strong, they can bounce back with a tournament win, knowing they have the inherent right to compete on the court. Without that solid foundation of self-belief, a dip in confidence can feel like hitting rock bottom.
Why this distinction matters for your career
The levers for strengthening self-belief and building confidence are fundamentally different. By recognising what you need (more of), you can apply the right strategy at the right time.
Self-belief is an internal state.
It's your view on whether you belong and your conviction that you're good (enough). Self-belief gives you trust in yourself and your judgement and a positive outlook, even when faced with daunting tasks or uncertain outcomes. It gives you the resilience in the face of a challenging project, a difficult job search, or building a new venture, and the courage to pursue ambitious goals.
Confidence interacts with the external world.
Confidence, conversely, interacts with the external world. It's built through action and experience. You gain confidence by doing - taking on new tasks, learning new skills, and stepping outside your comfort zone. It's the premise that you can do something ("can do") and that if you do that, the world around you will change (it "can happen").
In training for any sport, you work on improving your game. If you're a beginner, you might marvel at your progress in holding a tennis racket. That builds confidence. Slowly, you build up your tennis game – and your confidence. Self-belief, on the other hand, is knowing you have the right to be on the tennis court in the first place.
Let's examine the distinction in a professional setting using the example of Alexandra I mentioned earlier. Alexandra just stepped into a new senior leadership role. She must acquire new skills, tackle complex projects, and manage diverse teams.
Strong self-belief means she knows she has the inherent right to be at the leadership table. She's at peace with her presence, optimistic about her contribution, and focused on her responsibilities.
High confidence means she trusts her ability to learn new skills, understand what it takes to achieve key performance indicators, and believe she can influence organisational change.
It's a subtle but essential difference that dictates where you focus your energy for growth.
Practical strategies to strengthen self-belief and build confidence
Since these two qualities operate on different levels, they require distinct practices:
You build confidence (in new skills activities) but strengthen self-belief (in yourself).
Actionable steps to increase your confidence
Confidence is built through a structured, external-facing approach:
1. Define clear goals and understand precisely what you aim to achieve.
2. Plan and strategise a clear roadmap with actionable steps.
3. Improve skills and tactics by continuously learning, practising and refining your approach.
4. Focus on the process, and pay attention to your steps, not just the outcome.
5. Objectively assess your progress and results. Lack of confidence often stems from unclear goals or an inability to measure progress.
Cultivating self-belief through inner work.
Strong self-belief means having positive views about yourself and feeling good about who you are (for most of the time). Self-belief is nurtured through internal, self-tending practices.
1. Engage in activities that cultivate positive self-perception, self-worth, and self-acceptance. These might include visualisation, meditation, journaling, or positive affirmations.
2. Recognise that your value is not solely tied to your achievements or external validation. (you might to read Beyond your job: how to separate identity from social impact work
3. Practice self-compassion. Be kind to yourself, especially during setbacks. Treat yourself with the same understanding you would offer a trusted friend.
By understanding whether you need to build confidence in a specific area or strengthen your foundational self-belief, you can apply the right strategy to excel in your career.
What do you need more of in your current career journey: confidence or self-belief?
Book a discovery call to discuss how coaching can support you. We’ll discuss your biggest challenge, what overcoming this might look like and if my coaching is a good fit—no strings attached.
