In 2025, a national study by the Mentally Strong Institute found that 66 percent of working Americans believe we’re facing a real confidence crisis. Nearly 70 percent say they replay past mistakes and battle a tough inner critic, and 62 percent regularly feel they’re not enough. These internal struggles are happening while external uncertainty keeps rising. Only 45 percent of employees feel good about their company’s next six months, according to the Glassdoor Employee Confidence Index. Another MyPerfectResume survey found that 42 percent of workers expect layoffs in their company or industry within the next three to six months.
It makes sense. When the world feels unsteady, most people start questioning themselves long before they question their leadership or their workload. And when confidence drops, it doesn’t just affect how someone feels. It affects how they show up, what they contribute, and whether they stay.
Why Confidence Matters
Confidence influences almost everything about how we work. It shapes whether we speak up, whether we share new ideas, whether we take on responsibility, and whether we feel like our voice matters. Someone can be incredibly talented but still get stuck in hesitation if they doubt themselves; and that hesitation doesn’t just affect them; it affects the whole team.
Research shows how powerful confidence can be. A study published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science found a direct relationship between confidence and performance in self managing service teams. Teams that believed in themselves consistently produced better service quality and financial results.
Coaching Focus has also shown that low confidence interferes with decision making, risk taking, communication, and career growth.
Positive psychology research agrees. When employees feel confident, they engage more deeply, contribute more freely, and bring more creative energy to their work.
Confidence isn’t just personal. It’s cultural.
The Confidence Crisis Up Close
Picture Jane. She is smart, capable, thoughtful, and prepared. She cares deeply about her work. But she rarely speaks up. Every time she thinks about sharing an idea, that inner voice (I call it the What-if Whisperer) shows up. “What if I’m wrong? What if people think I don’t know what I’m doing?” One tiny mistake becomes a full story about why she shouldn’t take up space.
Now add the real world stress happening around her. Restructuring. Hiring freezes. Whispers of layoffs. Financial pressure at home. Suddenly her inner critic has more evidence to latch onto.
She starts shrinking herself, she stops offering ideas. She turns down opportunities she used to want. Eventually, she considers leaving.
And she’s not the only one. Most teams have several Janes, quietly wrestling with doubt while trying to keep up; On the outside they seem steady; on the inside they’re exhausted.
When confidence falls, creativity slows; collaboration fades; momentum drops; the entire workplace feels heavier.
What Organizations Lose When Confidence Drops
- Ideas never shared.
Untapped potential sits silently in meetings. - Reduced innovation.
When people don’t feel confident, they avoid risks and stay in “safe mode.” - Slower decision making.
Doubt leads to overthinking and hesitation. - Higher turnover.
People who feel undervalued eventually look elsewhere.
The U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board outlines this clearly. - A weaker culture.
When doubt becomes the norm, trust and collaboration take the hit.
It affects both the human side and the business side of work.
Confidence as a Performance Driver
Confidence isn’t fluff. It has measurable impact. The same study on self managing teams found that confidence beliefs directly influence performance outcomes.
Human Capital Innovations points to research showing that confidence may account for up to 30 percent of accomplishments across many fields.
When people trust themselves, they move faster, think more clearly, share more freely, and lead more naturally.
How to Build Confidence at Work
Here are four practical, approachable ways to strengthen confidence in any workplace.
- Redefine your internal narrative
Confidence doesn’t start with achievements. It starts with how we speak to ourselves. Most people are far more compassionate toward others than they are toward themselves. But confidence grows when we shift from criticism to curiosity.
Try asking:
• What did I learn?
• What strength did I show?
• How does this help me grow?
And truly, drop the “just.”
“I’m just an assistant;”
“I’m just helping.”
“I’m just trying.”
That one word shrinks your worth every time you say it.
Removing it changes everything.
- Use the Ctrl Alt Delete mindset reset
Ctrl: Control your thoughts. Notice what you’re telling yourself before the story runs away from you.
Alt: Alternative. Tell yourself a better alternative. Instead of “What if I fail?” try “When I succeed.” Shift the thought from fear to possibility.
Delete: Delete the habits and beliefs that don’t serve you; delete the comparison game; delete the over-apologizing. Delete the belief that you need to feel ready before you take action.
This reset helps you step out of self doubt and into clarity so you can move forward instead of staying stuck.
- Create visible wins through micro wins
Confidence grows through action. People need proof they can succeed, and that proof usually comes from small steps, not giant leaps.
Micro wins are tiny, doable moments that build momentum.
Send the email you’ve been avoiding.
Speak up once in the meeting.
Make one clear ask.
Take one small step toward the project sitting on your list.
Each micro win becomes a deposit into your confidence bank.
Research on building confidence at work supports this. Clear expectations, supportive feedback, and progressive successes help people stretch without burning out.
Micro wins are how long-term confidence is built.
- Lead with curiosity and support
Confidence grows in environments where people feel seen and supported. Leaders don’t need to give motivational speeches to build confidence. Small habits go a long way.
Ask “What do you think?”
Acknowledge strengths.
Normalize mistakes and learning.
Celebrate wins often.
People become more confident when they know their voice matters.
What This Means for People and Organizations
For individuals, confidence means recognizing your worth isn’t tied to perfection or performance alone. It’s about showing up honestly, sharing your voice, and knowing you bring value.
For organizations, confidence is a business strategy. Confident teams think more creatively, communicate more openly, stay longer, and perform better.
Uncertainty is inevitable. Confidence is what helps people move through it.
Bringing It All Together
Right now, many employees are carrying more self doubt than they let on; they want to contribute; they want to feel steady. They want to believe in their value even when the world feels unpredictable.
The good news is confidence can be built. It grows when people feel seen, supported, and encouraged; it grows through micro wins; it grows through honest reflection; it grows through simple resets like Ctrl Alt Delete that shift the story we tell ourselves.
When we shift from “Am I enough?” to “I bring value, I learn, and I grow,” workplaces change; teams collaborate more; ideas flow more freely; people carry themselves differently.
And that is exactly why I teach The REAL Method™ — learning to Respect yourself, Embrace your failures, Ask yourself what you want, and Live without limits. Confidence isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you build, one choice, one moment, and one voice at a time. Check out my website for more information.
