Have we lost sight of how brilliant we are?

I went for dinner with a long-time friend who works in research last night. She shared that the end of last year had been tough - the numbers were behind and the business had to make some tough decisions.

"I know I am fortunate to be experiencing this worry for the first time, but I no longer feel like I have job security."

This feels a familiar story right now.

And with this as the dominant narrative, either within the business or in the wider industry, it's very easy to absorb that and start feeling flat, fearful, or unsure of yourself. Especially when things feel stretched.

Sometimes what gets obscured in all of that is not just optimism, but perspective. Your strengths. Your reasons for being here. The parts of the job you are good at, and care about.

fear shrinks people

There are real challenges. I am not dismissing those.

But when fear and uncertainty build, habits and thought patterns that stay in the background when we feel secure come rushing back when we do not.

• We assume that because we feel less steady, we are less capable.

• We default to overwork, second guessing and making ourselves smaller.

• We forget what makes us brilliant - our judgement, our track record, our contribution, our skills.

This is not failing, this is responding to pressure.

It does not mean you are no longer good at what you do.

• Your strengths do not disappear because the market is hard.

• Your value does not vanish because the industry is noisy.

• Your brilliance does not become irrelevant because the landscape is changing.

Collective anxiety is not the same as objective truth

It is a response to uncertainty, and while it may tell us something about the moment, it does not get to define our value, our options, or our future on its own.

As leaders, part of our job right now is to steady the fear and restore belief.

Because this matters for teams too.

A lot of people are carrying more doubt than they show. They do not just need targets, feedback, and resilience. They also need reminding of what is strong in them. What is working. What they bring. What they can trust in themselves when things feel uncertain.

TRY these ideas to resurface your brilliance

1/ Make a brilliance list

• What do people rely on you for?

• What leadership behaviours come easily to you?

• What's the one thing that stays true in how you lead, no matter what the situation?

2/ Shine a light on your team’s brilliance

Instead of vague praise, like “great job,” try:

• Personal “I trust your judgement.”

• Observable “The way you handled that client motivated the team.”

• Specific “In that meeting, you asked the questions I would have missed.”

3/ Balance out the noise

• Reduce your exposure to the unhelpful noise

• Look for good news stories too

• Protect your mind - not every opinion needs to access your nervous system

Because framing matters

If things have felt heavy lately, take that seriously, but do not let it become the whole story.

As the coming of Spring reminds us: behind the clouds, there is always blue sky.

Thank you for reading.

You burn bright,

Zoe