The Confidence Equation

Ever worked with someone who had the skills but not the spark?
It’s frustrating — and common. Talent without confidence often goes unseen or unused.

The good news? Confidence isn’t something you're born with. It's something you build.
And once you understand the "confidence equation," you can apply it for yourself, your team, and your organisation.

Confidence = Competence + Consistency + Courage

Let’s break it down:

1. Competence: Mastering the Basics

Confidence starts when you know what you’re doing. Not just theoretically — but in action.
The first building block is competence: the skills, knowledge, and experience that create a solid foundation.

Ask yourself (or your team):

• Have we trained properly?
  

• Have we practiced enough to move past "thinking" and into "knowing"?
  

Mastery builds certainty. Certainty breeds confidence.

2. Consistency: Showing Up, Repeatedly

It’s not enough to be good once.
Consistency — showing up, delivering, learning, adjusting, and improving over time — is what builds real self-trust.

Small wins, repeated often, create a compounding effect.
They tell your brain, “I can handle this. I've done it before. I can do it again.”

3. Courage: Acting Before You Feel Ready

Here's the surprising ingredient: Courage often precedes confidence.
Most people think they need confidence before they act — but often, it's the other way around.

Confidence grows when you take action before you feel fully ready, trusting the process.

Every time you stretch slightly outside your comfort zone, you expand it.

Building Confidence for Yourself and Others

If you’re a leader, parent, coach, or mentor, here’s your cheat sheet:

• Build Competence: Give clear training and plenty of practice opportunities.

• Foster Consistency: Create habits, rhythms, and small achievable goals.

• Encourage Courage: Celebrate action, not just outcomes. Back people who are willing to try.
  

Confidence isn’t a mystery. It’s a formula.
And when you build it deliberately, you unlock a level of potential that talent alone can’t reach.