Confidence is key at work—but overconfidence can backfire. If you’ve overstated your skills, talked yourself into a role you weren’t quite ready for, or self-promoted too aggressively, keeping up the charade will only make things worse in the long run, undermining trust, causing stress, damaging relationships, and costing you opportunities for growth. Here’s how to gracefully rebuild your credibility instead. 

Understand your fear. What were you afraid would happen if others saw your true abilities? Naming that fear can help you stop letting it drive your choices.  

Reframe the story. If you feel in over your head, you can reset your colleagues’ expectations—without damaging trust. You could simply say something like, “I’ve realized there’s more to learn here than I initially thought.” 

Be honest when it counts. If your credibility is slipping, confronting your limitations directly can help; for example, “I may have overstated my experience, and I want to be upfront about what I’m still working on and learning.” This kind of transparency demonstrates accountability and integrity. 

Shift to growth. Let people see you learning. Ask questions, admit gaps in your knowledge, and highlight others’ strengths. Humility builds more trust than pretending ever will.
This tip is adapted from “When You Oversell Your Abilities and It Backfires,” by Ron Carucci and Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic.
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