How to Trust Yourself to Make Decisions at Work
If you ask five people before every decision, rewrite every email three times or wait for permission you do not need, you may not trust yourself yet. Self-trust is built the same way any trust is: by keeping promises.
Build self-trust at work by keeping small promises to yourself, making low-stakes decisions quickly, writing down your reasoning so you can learn from outcomes, limiting how many people you ask before deciding, owning mistakes without spiraling, and noticing the times your judgment was right. Signs you do not trust yourself include constant reassurance-seeking, over-preparing, avoiding decisions and waiting for permission.
Trust between people is built when someone does what they said they would do, over and over. Trust in yourself works the same way. Every time you keep a promise to yourself, make a call and live with it, or speak up when you said you would, you add to it. Every time you back out, defer or wait for someone else to decide, you take a little away.
Signs you do not trust yourself at work
Five signs of low self-trust
- You need reassurance before every decision. You ask several people even about small things.
- You over-prepare. Every email gets rewritten, every presentation rehearsed far past the point of usefulness.
- You avoid deciding. You wait for more information, more time or someone else to make the call.
- You wait for permission you do not need. You have the authority, but you do not use it.
- You replay mistakes for days. One wrong call becomes proof you cannot be trusted.
Why self-trust matters at work
People who do not trust themselves are slow. They wait, check and defer, and opportunities pass. They also tend to be less trusted by others, because hesitation can look like uncertainty about the work itself. Leaders notice who is willing to make a call and own it. I wrote in Axcess News about why so many capable people wait for permission they do not need.
How to build self-trust
Six ways to trust yourself more
- Keep small promises to yourself. If you said you would make the call by noon, make it by noon.
- Decide small things fast. Give low-stakes decisions a time limit and stick to it.
- Write down your reasoning. Then review outcomes. You will be right more often than you think.
- Ask one person, not five. Get one useful perspective, then decide.
- Own mistakes without spiraling. Say what you would do differently, fix it and move on.
- Notice when you were right. Self-doubt remembers every miss and forgets every hit. Keep a record.
Mistakes are part of it
Trusting yourself does not mean you will always be right. It means you are willing to decide, learn from the outcome and decide again. Every leader I respect has made plenty of wrong calls. What sets them apart is that they own them quickly and keep going. See Protect Your Ego Or Improve Your Performance. Not Both.
I talk about this in my signature keynote, You Are Capable of More. For more, see Axcess News: Stop Waiting for Permission and Self-Doubt at Work.
Self-trust is built by keeping promises to yourself. Decide small things fast, ask one person instead of five, write down your reasoning, own mistakes without spiraling and keep a record of the times you were right.
Frequently asked questions
How do you know if you don’t trust yourself?
How can I trust myself to make decisions at work?
Why is self-trust important at work?
Does trusting yourself mean always being right?
You Are Capable of More
A No-Excuses Guide to Becoming Your Best Self. The bestselling book behind Chris’s keynotes and the 2026 Paris Book Festival winner in the How-To category. Many teams hand a copy to every seller at their kickoff.
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All Personal Growth Articles · In Axcess News: Stop Waiting for Permission · In Inc.: The Difference Between Self-Doubt and Lack of Ambition
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