Accomplished execs, entrepreneurs and investors explain how to build confidence and create the kind of leadership people actually follow.
Confidence is the invisible currency that opens doors, commands rooms and inspires trust long before a résumé or title enters the conversation. Yet the line between genuine confidence and unchecked ego is razor thin—and the people who consistently operate at the highest levels know the difference better than anyone.
That balance—the ability to pair conviction with humility—is one of the defining characteristics of modern leadership.
So what separates authentic self-assurance from arrogance? The members of Maxim Sphere—an exclusive group of accomplished founders, executives, investors and industry leaders whose careers have been built on making high-stakes decisions and earning the respect of those around them—reveal how those at the top develop unshakeable confidence while becoming a leader worth looking up to.
1. Check Your ‘Status’ At The Door
“High-status individuals start by not thinking of themselves as high-status individuals. They see themselves as successful, and status then follows. People who think of status first often are not as successful and come across as arrogant. Humility and kindness are the true high-status markers for 2026.”- Brendan Keegan, bFEARLESS Ventures
2. Stop The Comparison Game
“In my experience, unshakeable confidence comes from years of collecting knowledge and hard-won lessons, paired with the humility to admit you don’t have all the answers. People with this trait often carry a quiet, subdued demeanor, as if they’re constantly taking in their surroundings without judgment. They’re great listeners, and they tend to come to you with a solution rather than just a problem. They’ve simply stopped measuring themselves against anyone else.” – Sam Bodine, Scout & Nimble
3. Believe You Belong In The Room
“High-status individuals develop unshakeable confidence when they stop expending energy trying to prove who they are. Confidence becomes genuine rather than performative when you tackle difficult situations head-on, understand that failure is an integral part of every new endeavor, and have the discipline to keep promises not only to others but also to yourself. Arrogance rarely survives in environments where humility is vital to succeeding or earning respect. The most confident person in the room isn’t concerned with convincing the audience they belong there. When you truly know who you are, you begin to recognize that the audience is there to listen for a reason. It’s not your job to decipher those particular reasons. Your job is to become just as comfortable with who you are when the room is crowded as you are when it’s empty. That is natural confidence in its purest form.” – Brian Thalhammer, Mecum Auctions
4. Embrace Rejection
“Any entrepreneur or person who has started a business has dealt with rejection. We go through 100 nos to just get that one “yes.” This teaches you to be much less afraid of rejection, and builds your confidence. You learn that being “rejected” often has more to do with the other person than yourself (for example, pitching investors who don’t understand your space or industry).” – Gideon Kimbrell, InList
5. Put In The Work
“Confidence isn’t having no insecurities. It’s realizing everyone has them, no matter how successful or high-status they seem. The rest is receipts. You do hard things. You keep promises to yourself. You get good enough to know you’re good. Arrogance needs everyone else to believe it. Confidence already knows.” – Borzou Azabdaftari, NickelBronx
6. Be Honest About Who You Are
“Developing unshakeable confidence without arrogance requires you to know yourself and authentically embody that knowledge. If you’re representing yourself as you truly have discovered and shaped yourself to be, there’s simply no room to be anything but confident. And if you’re being honest with yourself, which authenticity requires, then there’s no room for arrogance either, as developing humility is built into the self-discovery process.” – Chelsey Hinsenkamp, Mecum Auctions