Competence ≠ Confidence
What happens when you know you’re capable… but don’t feel it anymore
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One of the hardest stretches of my career was when I had learned all the tactical skills, but on the inside... I’d lost my confidence.
On paper, things looked fine. But inside, something felt off.
That is a brutal place to work from.
Especially if you’re in a leadership role.
And it’s why this conversation stuck with me.
So let me paint a picture.
You interview for your dream role.
It goes multiple rounds and you make it to the final stage. They eliminate every other candidate. It’s basically you… or nobody.
And they choose nobody.
Annoying. But it happens, right?!
Then a year later, the CEO reaches out to invite you to interview again. You figure, “they wouldn’t have asked me if they weren’t really interested.” And you go through four more rounds of interviews.
The recruiter says, “Expect good news on Monday.” And you can’t help but get excited.
But then...
Monday turns into Tuesday.
Tuesday turns into Wednesday.
And then, they pass again.
That happened to my guest this week.
Scott McNeely is a multi-time VP of Product.
From the outside, he looks unshakably confident.
In our conversation, he shares how this moment rattled him - and what he did so it didn’t follow him into the next chapter of his career.
We also talk about:
What to do when confidence drops but skills haven’t
Why “best idea wins” breaks down in real orgs
The shift from being right to being effective
This conversation is for anyone who’s quietly wondered:
Am I actually as good as I thought I was?
Catch our entire conversation on YouTube:
Or, listen on Spotify:
Are you a Product, Marketing, or Growth Leader looking to increase your impact and influence in 2026?
Two ways I can help:
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