Confidence is the catalyst to grow your finance career

Leena Dattani, FCMA, CGMA, had financial and business insights to share for years but she always sat in silence at board meetings. Her hesitancy wasn’t because of a lack of things to say, but due to a lack of confidence. Her belief in herself grew, however, throughout studying for the CGMA® qualification from CIMA®.

Leena’s confidence grew more as her career progressed to director of commercial propositions at NHS Professionals; she now works as a commercial strategy consultant.

When I gained my confidence and realised I actually have a voice that people want to hear … it’s like a lightbulb just switched on, said Leena in a video interview.

Confidence is not a static trait, but a skill you can develop.

Leena was not alone in her self-doubt — about 70% of professionals will experience imposter syndrome, or persistent self-doubt, according to a study from the International Journal of Behavioral Science. Even if you’re qualified for your role, imposter syndrome can stall your career growth by causing you to underestimate your own abilities.

And that’s where developing confidence can be the turning point that changes how you participate, influence, and lead in the workplace.

Confidence encourages you to take a seat at the table with all stakeholders and translate financial insights into actions the organisation can use.

In the workplace, confidence looks like speaking up in meetings, offering recommendations to a manager based on your own analysis, or initiating projects. Those actions don’t go unnoticed by leaders, and they use those instances when making considerations for higher-level projects or promotions.

But the reverse can hold true, too. When we don’t believe in ourselves and suffer from imposter syndrome, our leaders may pick up on those behavioural cues and that could lead to reduced opportunities.

Chronic self-doubt shows up as lack of eye contact, procrastination, or a hesitancy to speak up. A challenge or mistake is misread as a personal failure instead of a growth opportunity. Imposter syndrome can be paralysing and prevent you from pursuing opportunities.

Career growth often opens when you trust in your own abilities.

Before choosing CIMA, Leena was a bookkeeper and her manager urged her to pursue professional development. The business foundation of the CGMA qualification appealed to her and she knew it would bring her closer to her career goals.

I chose [the CGMA qualification] because it was more of a business qualification, said Leena. I don’t see myself as sitting behind a desk and doing audit. I really wanted something that would allow me to interact with people.

That sense of momentum from her qualification soon grew into something more valuable: confidence. Confidence turns you into the kind of person who enjoys a challenge, learns from experiences, and steps into a new role or job responsibility — just like Leena.

To be truly successful, finance professionals need confidence. But here’s the thing: confidence takes time and develops through an accumulation of experience and small successes.

To gain confidence at work, try these 4 tips:

Practice courage. In finance, you’ll often face new systems of high-stakes conversations. Courage is not fearlessness; it’s acknowledging the discomfort and uncertainty and acting anyway. Small acts, like volunteering to create a forecast or presenting your analysis, are the foundation of lasting confidence.
Silence your inner critic. Early in your career, it’s easy to let imposter syndrome take hold when completing complex financial tasks. Counter that voice with supportive self-talk and treat yourself the way you’d treat a colleague who is learning something new.
Replace negative thoughts. When you catch yourself saying, ‘I’ll never understand this model’, pause and take a breath. Finance skill sets take time to put together. Challenge those thoughts and swap them with statements grounded in growth.
Shift away from a fixed mindset. Instead of a rigid belief of, ‘I can’t present this analysis to senior leaders’, shift the thinking to ‘I can learn to present well with continual practice.’ Your finance career is still developing, and a mindset based on curiosity and compassion challenges your personal assumptions and encourages you to try new tasks.

In today’s complex business landscape, modern finance roles demand more than technical know-how alone — professionals are expected to question assumptions, offer strategic advice, and lean on their well-developed power skills. It’s confidence that gets you there.

Confidence fuels career growth

Professional opportunities expand most for people who recognise their strengths and own their weaknesses. And a great confidence builder is professional development.

Enrolling in professional development is an act of courage, and the payoff is worth the momentary discomfort. You’ll be able to expand your skill sets, increase credibility, enhance your strengths, and build a stronger professional network.

If I look back at the person I used to be, and the person I’ve become, a lot of it is through what I’ve done with CIMA and how it’s helped me to grow, said Leena, who moved her career from aspiration to achievement.

Completing a professional development program, like earning the CGMA qualification, is proof of your expertise and signals to your managers, and yourself, that you’re capable. With the increase in confidence and enhanced skills, you can move beyond tasks and progress into a career that’s dynamic and challenging.

Believing in yourself allows you share analysis, challenge assumptions, spot risks, and propose solutions — all essential behaviours in modern finance roles.

From self-doubt to career growth with CIMA

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Confidence is not a static trait, but a skill you can develop.

Career growth often opens when you trust in your own abilities.

Confidence fuels career growth

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