Confidence is more than just a personality trait; it’s the foundation of effective
leadership and personal growth. Without it, our voice trembles, our decisions falter,
and our potential gets buried under layers of fear and self-doubt. But with it, doors
open, courage rises, and lives – including our own – are transformed.
“True confidence isn’t rooted in applause or performance,” says Jacqueline van
Rooijen, Director at Ycagel and Transformation Coach. “It’s not built on how many
likes you get, how polished your résumé looks, or whether you nailed every decision.
At its core, confidence is a deep awareness of your worth and identity – a grounded
knowing that allows you to stand steady even when circumstances shake.”
Van Rooijen believes that when confidence is tied to something bigger than fleeting
self-perceptions, it becomes unshakable. It stops being about striving and starts
being about standing still. That’s why leaders can lead boldly. Not because doubt
never arises, but because their identity is anchored in something stronger than the
doubt itself.
When confidence is missing, leadership falters quietly! Meetings where your ideas
never leave your lips because you are too scared that they’ll be dismissed before
they’re understood, or you will be judged. Opportunities that slip through your fingers
because fear disguised itself as caution – and you listened. Teams that drift or lose
momentum when they can’t lean on a leader who second-guesses every move.
But leadership rooted in confidence? That’s where influence grows – not through
force, but through clarity. Confident leaders don’t need to dominate the room; they
steady it. They make decisions that invite trust. They build spaces where voices rise,
not shrink. And when challenges come, they don’t flinch – they model resilience that
others can lean on.
Research on organisational leadership shows that teams are more innovative,
engaged, and resilient when led by confident leaders. Why? Because confidence is
contagious. It gives others permission to believe they can rise too.
“Confidence isn’t a one-time download,” notes van Rooijen. “It’s built daily in the
choices you make.” She shares four simple steps you can take right now to
strengthen your confidence and leadership presence:
Shift your inner dialogue: Replace “I can’t” with “I’m learning.” Shift “I’m not
enough” to “I am equipped for this.”
Take small risks: Confidence grows in action. Send the email. Share the idea.
Take the stage. Each step becomes proof that you can.
Ground yourself: Start your day – and steady yourself in moments of doubt –
with practices that ground you: meditation, journaling, reflection, breathwork. Act
from that place of clarity.
Celebrate progress: Confidence grows when you acknowledge wins, even tiny
ones. Every step forward matters.
When you rebuild your confidence, you don’t just change your own life. You impact
the people watching you – children, colleagues, friends, even strangers. Your
courage becomes a quiet invitation: If they can rise, maybe I can too.
“Confidence is not about perfection. It’s about showing up, rooted in clarity and
courage, willing to lead even when the path feels shaky,” van Rooijen concludes.
"And when you do, you’ll find comeback isn’t just possible – it’s inevitable.
ENDS
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A Press Release on Behalf of:
Jacqueline van Rooijen
Director at Ycagel and Transformation Coach
About Jacqueline van Rooijen.
Jacqueline van Rooijen is a strategic leadership advisor, high-performance sales coach, and creator
of the Confidence Comeback Challenge.
With a background spanning leadership development, operational excellence, and on-the-ground
sales team activation, her approach is unapologetically strategic and deeply personal. She builds trust
fast, sees gaps others miss, and partners with leadership teams to build systems that not only work
but last.
“I don’t just coach — I help leaders build growth engines that scale with their values, not against
them.” Jacqueline van Rooijen