There is a difference between confidence and bravado. Confidence is trust in yourself. Bravado is bluster. It comes from fear, not from trust. When you go to a job interview knowing what you bring and knowing your value, you carry yourself differently. You don't rush to answer the interviewer's question the second they stop talking. You take your time. Your words have weight. Fearful managers want to hire fearful people. You know this too well if you've ever taken a job with a fearful manager before, and learned to your dismay that the manager hated your confidence more than anything else they hated about you.

You cannot afford to waste your time and talent working for someone who wants to dim your flame, not grow it.

Unfortunately, the hierarchical bureaucratic system we work in promotes and rewards fearful thinking. Too many people get promoted to higher-level jobs just because they are fearful. They don't dare buck the system or speak their mind. They supervise their employees rather than leading them. They do not know they are operating from fear. It feels normal to them. They want you to be fearful, too.

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