National Leadership Day: When Your Confidence Dips as a New Leader
- Hazel Theocharous
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
I am not sure if you know but today is National Leadership Day. While we often celebrate bold decisions, big visions and confident leaders, my post is about something much quieter. The moment your confidence dips.
Because if you’re a new leader... Whether you’ve been promoted, started employing staff in your business, or stepped into a management role for the first time, there will be moments where you question yourself.
But that doesn’t mean you’re not ready to be a leader. It means that you care.
The Confidence Dip No One Talks About
Leadership confidence isn’t a straight line. It fluctuates because one day you can feel very capable, decisive and in control. But the next day...?
You may be replaying a conversation
You may question every decision
You may be wondering whether you handled something “well enough.”
In your new role, you might think:
“They’re expecting me to know more than I do.”
“I should feel more confident than this by now.”
“Everyone else seems more natural at this.”
“What if I get this wrong?”
Throughout my career, I have worked with many new leaders and small business owners, and this is more common than people admit. A shift in confidence can happen when:
You’ve gone from peer to manager
You’ve built a business and suddenly have to lead others
You’ve inherited a team dynamic you didn’t create
You’ve never actually been taught how to lead
Leadership stretches you, and even if you feel that becoming a leader is right for you, it can feel uncomfortable.
When Discomfort Gets Mistaken for Incompetence
Well one of the biggest patterns I see is capable people misreading growth discomfort as failure. Why?
You care about your team
You want to do it properly
You don’t want to let anyone down
So when you feel uncertain, your brain fills in the gaps: “Maybe I’m not cut out for this.”
But here’s the truth:
Confidence dips often mean you’re stepping up. Things to think about...
You’re taking responsibility seriously.
You’re reflecting.
You’re thinking beyond yourself.
That’s not weakness. That’s maturity.
Leadership Isn’t Just a Promotion — It’s an Identity Shift
When you move into leadership, three things change at once:
Your responsibility increases
Your visibility increases
Your impact increases
Alongside this:
Your words carry more weight
Your mood influences others
Your decisions affect performance, morale and sometimes livelihoods
That’s a lot to hold. What I have discovered throughout my career, most people are promoted because they’re good at their job, not because they’ve been trained in leading people.
We do assume leadership confidence should just “come naturally”. But, It rarely does.
The Confidence Skills New Leaders Actually Need
In my experience, new leaders don’t usually need more technical knowledge. What they do need is:
Clear frameworks for conversations
Structure for feedback and accountability
Space to reflect before reacting
A sounding board
Practical communication tools
Permission not to have all the answers
Confidence grows through clarity in Leadership
When you know:
How to structure a difficult conversation
How to set expectations clearly
How to manage performance fairly
How to lead without becoming everyone’s rescuer…
Your confidence becomes steadier. Not louder. But steadier.
If Your Confidence Has Dipped Recently, Try This
Pause and ask yourself:
Is this a skill gap or a confidence gap?
What evidence do I have that I can handle this?
Am I expecting myself to be experienced before I’ve had experience?
What would I say to someone else in my position?
Leadership confidence isn’t built by eliminating doubt. It’s built by learning to lead through it.
So on National Leadership Day… Let’s normalise this part of leadership.
The thoughtful leaders
The reflective leaders
The ones who care enough to question themselves
The small business owners trying to build healthy teams
The new managers who want to do things properly
Strong leadership isn’t about never wobbling. It’s about staying grounded when you do.
And If You’re Growing a Team…
If you’re a small business owner or SME leader navigating this transition, you don’t have to figure it out alone.
Leadership isn’t just a title — it’s a skillset
Confidence isn’t something you “wait” to feel. It’s something you build deliberately through structured development, practical tools and honest conversations.
That’s exactly why I focus on business training that strengthens both performance and people confidence, because when leaders feel steadier, teams perform better.
If this resonated with you today, National Leadership Day might be the perfect moment to invest in developing the kind of leadership culture you actually want to build.
© Hazel Theocharous, Empowering Your Circle
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