October 7, 2026 Salus Forum

Jack

I’m going to jump in and take a little bit different tact because I think confidence as a leader is a myth. I believe that if you are leading, you are always on the edge of the group. You’re on the outside of the circle, right in that interface between what is and what is not, or what could be. So having confidence is great if you’re sitting in the middle doing the same old thing, but that’s not leading. Leading means taking that edge. This is for me. So, forget about feeling confident. Don’t worry about it. Balance your discomfort and your comfort. Your humility and your curiosity. You must balance those as a leader. And when we become confident, I think we are no longer leading. We’re sort of just doing the same old thing. Now, I understand that there is some nuance there, but I wouldn’t worry too much about confidence. And the concept of imposter syndrome. I know it and I’ve heard it and I’ve seen it, but I think it really is this liminal space between comfort at doing what you know and leading into something else.

Jeremy

Thank you, Jack. As always, you and I have sometimes different views on things. I do think confidence is a lot of what patients expect us to exude to some level or not. Otherwise, they talk to their plumber about what to do with their health. So we are pushed to exude confidence. I agree with you, though. that you’re pushing yourself into discomfort constantly in leadership. And yet, if you don’t have enough confidence or courage, you are unlikely to push beyond discomfort. I’m not sure which is more important. And there is the matter of curiosity. I think the three of them interplay. I was glad you mentioned curiosity as well. Maintaining curiosity means you’re still willing to learn and grow. I see that as sometimes most important. But I have watched many a resident gain competence, It definitely gives them an ease to push themselves into new things. Some level of overconfidence is the thing all of us don’t want to get into. With arrogance and all that. There is way too much over confidence at higher levels of healthcare leadership. There are way too many overconfident people.  I agree that excessive confidence can be problematic.