The Opposite of Confidence Isn’t Insecurity. It’s Fear.
- Richard Nugent
- Jun 2
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 3
Most people think the opposite of confidence is insecurity. Or self-doubt. Or low self-esteem.
They’re wrong.
The real opposite of confidence is fear.
And fear is doing more damage to your organisation than you think.
Fear causes procrastination.
It stops people from speaking up.
It paralyses decision-making.
It makes talented people shrink, hedge, and hold back.
It turns meetings into performances and projects into political minefields.
Fearful organisations don’t deliver full value to their customers, stakeholders, or shareholders.
Because when fear takes hold, performance plummets.
As Harvard psychologist Amy Edmondson found in her research on psychological safety, people in fear-driven environments are less likely to contribute ideas, less likely to take ownership, and more likely to cover up mistakes – all of which undermine performance and learning.
In contrast, confidence creates clarity, action and ownership.
Confident organisations are faster, braver, and better to work for.
But confident organisations don’t happen by accident. They’re created by confident leaders.
Leaders who understand that confidence isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you do.
In The Secrets of Confident People, I wrote that confidence is an emotional state that anyone can access at any time if they know how.
Leaders who understand the secret of confidence can reverse fear, reduce hesitation, and create the conditions where people think clearly, act boldly, and bring their full talent to the table.
If your organisation is ready to move from fear to confidence, we should talk.
Because confident leaders build confident teams. And confident teams build businesses that win.