"Win at Work"

Weekly Newsletter by Yasar Ahmad

Few key free resources worth noting this week.

The ChatGPT prompt that perfects your resume.
The 30% salary jump playbook (Full free guide)
The ChatGPT prompt to sound Human
The Ultimate Script book (My favourite but also because it has 558 scripts that help you with every situation)

Read previous editions here.

Week 20 - Confidence - From Self-Doubt to Self-Assurance

Ever bite your tongue in a meeting because you weren’t 100% sure your idea was “good enough”? Ever chalk up your achievements to luck and fear you’ll be “found out”? That’s the voice of self-doubt, and it plagues more of us than you’d think.

A lack of confidence (often showing up as impostor syndrome) can quietly sabotage your career. It makes talented people hold back, not applying for promotions, not sharing ideas, not taking on new challenges, because they underestimate themselves. One famous internal report found that men apply for jobs when they meet ~60% of the requirements, while women tend to wait until they meet 100%. That gap often comes down to confidence. If you constantly second-guess yourself, you end up playing small. Your contributions stay hidden, you overwork trying to be “perfect,” and others might even start to doubt you too because you project doubt in yourself.

Impostor feelings are common around 70% of people experience them. So you’re not alone. Even CEOs have moments they feel in over their heads. If you don’t address self-doubt, you could stagnate while peers with half your talent advance simply because they believe they can. Confidence isn’t about being arrogant or knowing everything; it’s about trusting that you can figure things out and that you have worth.

Solution: You can train your confidence like a muscle. Start with these strategies:

Catalog your wins: Impostor syndrome makes you forget your accomplishments. Write down projects you’ve completed successfully, obstacles you’ve overcome, compliments or positive feedback you’ve received. Keep a “brag file.” When self-doubt creeps in, review it. Hard evidence shuts up that inner critic.
Reframe your self-talk: Pay attention to how you talk to yourself. Would you tell a friend “You’re terrible at your job” because of one mistake? Of course not. So don’t say it to yourself. Replace harsh self-criticism with constructive talk. Instead of “I’m not qualified to lead this,” try “I may not have done it before, but I can learn and I bring A, B, C strengths to the table.”
Embrace action (even if you’re nervous): Confidence builds through doing. Challenge yourself to speak up at least once in the next meeting, or volunteer for a task slightly outside your comfort zone. You don’t need 100% certainty being mostly sure is enough. You grow by stretching, not by staying in your safe bubble. Every time you act despite nerves, you teach your brain that you won’t implode by stepping up.
Stop chasing perfection: Set high standards, yes, but don’t paralyze yourself trying to be perfect. Mistakes and learning curves are part of growth, not proof that you’re an impostor. Allow yourself to deliver work that is great (even if not “perfect”) and move on. The world rewards those who deliver, not those who overthink endlessly.
Use body language to your advantage: Head up, shoulders back, make eye contact, even if you have to fake it at first. Adopting a “power pose” for a minute or two can even trick your brain into feeling more confident. Similarly, speak clearly and avoid undermining phrases (“just an idea, but…”, “I’m no expert, but…”). Own your words. You have the right to speak.

Maybe today you send that email you’ve been nervous to send. Tomorrow, you volunteer to lead a small part of a project. Bit by bit, that nervous voice in your head gets quieter as evidence piles up that “Hey, I’ve got this.” Confidence isn’t the absence of self-doubt – it’s moving forward despite it.

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”
Theodore Roosevelt

Take Aways:

You have everything it takes to succeed, the skills, the ideas, the work ethic. Don’t let a lack of confidence be the reason you miss out. That voice telling you “you’re not ready” is just fear, not fact. Quiet it with action. Step up, even if your voice shakes. Each step will make the next one easier. Over time, you won’t need to fake confidence, you’ll truly feel it. And that’s when your career will really soar.

Thanks

Yasar