Self-doubt is popping up all over the place in the coaching room these days. So many of my coachees talk about their frustration at how they second-guess themselves more and more when believe they should feel more competent as they progress in their career.

And I get it because I'm finding exactly the same thing myself right now.

I've been deep in my own professional development lately, preparing for the next stage of my coaching accreditation, PCC (Professional Certified Coach) with the International Coaching Federation, topping up my Knowledge, Skills and Experience dial. Hundreds of accumulated hours to log, and a lot of deep reflection on how I actually coach, which means I'm holding my work up to a very bright light.

It's a double-edged sword. Sometimes I notice how far I've come and other times, how far I've still got to go. Of course there are those sessions where I leave with a real buzz because things just clicked and flowed and it all felt just right. But sometimes I'll leave a session replaying it in my head, wondering whether I read the situation correctly, whether I asked the right questions, whether I could have done something better.

You may have come across the four stages of competence — a model from the 1970s that maps the journey from not knowing what you don't know, through the discomfort of knowing you don't know, into the satisfaction of knowing you know, and finally to being competent without thinking too much about it.

What it doesn't include (and what nobody warns us about) is a fifth stage. The point at which you've accumulated enough genuine expertise to then really realise just how much you still don't know. The knowing-I'll-never-know-everything stage. And it's a bit unsettling to notice that but it also makes sense for those of us who do care about learning and developing.

Because if we never question our abilities, we've probably stopped caring about learning and sharpening our tools. Sometimes our self-doubts are actually a sign of our development because we're bothering to notice what's working and what's not.

And this should encourage us because it's actually where the best work happens. In my case through the deepening of my coaching practice, but it applies equally to any craft, in any career.

So if you're at a stage where things feel more complex than they used to be, where you're doubting yourself when you feel like you should be more confident by now, it's worth considering that this isn't necessarily a problem to fix - it might just be a great big growth spurt for you to lean into.

See you soon,
Sarah

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I'm working with corporate clients on talent development and retention in 2026. If you're in a role where you support the development of others, you’re always welcome to reach out for a conversation - be that for group coaching on the Core Career Dials, training your managers on how to have excellent career development conversations, or something more bespoke.