🎙️ Podcast Link 🎙️
The Goldilocks Zone is the just-right distance from a star 🌞 where a planet can sustain liquid water 💧 – not too hot, not too cold, but ideal conditions for the possibility of life to exist 🌱.
The Goldilocks zone is also one of three “confidence zones” that I use to describe confidence levels, which are ever so important for so many things in your personal and professional lives, including applying for jobs, promotions, prizes, and general promotion of your work.
The three zones are:
🔵 The unconfident zone, where your levels of confidence are underselling your actual capabilities.
🟢 The “Goldilocks” zone, where confidence is roughly in step with actual ability – a zone where you should, IMHO, spend a significant chunk (but not all) of your time.
🟠 The over-confident zone, which splits further into two:
🟡 The slightly overconfident zone: you’ve just had a bumper run of successes in a row and are feeling invincible – a very natural breeding ground for a bit of over-confidence.
🔴 The Dunning-Kruger effect: where a high level of confidence in ability is totally out of touch with reality, but unrealized by the individual.
In this Hacking Academia video, I dive into the concept of confidence in a professional career with an academic research lens. I cover:
🧠 The need to deliberately think about and be aware of your levels of confidence.
🙋♂️ The very common scenario of people underselling themselves (usually not their fault, but a product of the system we come up in).
🚀 The need to be slightly over-confident on occasion (selectively).
🪞 That getting feedback that you’re doing well but are perhaps slightly over-confident, while sometimes a little awkward, is also a signal that you’re pitching at just about the right level – you don’t want people to miss what you’re proposing is your value proposition!
🔁 That confidence is one of those things where you’re particularly reliant on the perspective and feedback of others – you can’t fully assess whether you’re at about the right level yourself.
⚠️ Not covered in the video, but there’s also the situation where someone (unknowingly) has completely misplaced confidence that’s likely to get them into serious trouble. 🤝 There are good, gentle ways to try and help them – supportive conversations, mentoring, or prompting reflection. 🚫 There are also toxic ways to go about it – attacks, shaming, ridicule, or exclusion – that should be avoided at all costs.
So, which zone do spend most of your time hanging out in? I try to spend most of my time in the Goldilocks zone, but occasionally foray into the “over-confident” zone (sometimes deliberately, sometimes unwittingly 😅), and despite my best intentions, occasionally lapse into the “unconfident” zone.
#CareerAdvice #research #university #jobs #grants #promotions #funding #careersuccess #confidence #selfbelief
Full Video Notes
When astronomers investigate the potential for life in a new star and planet system, they often refer to a region known as the Goldilocks zone. This is the zone at just the right distance from the star where conditions such as temperature and pressure could support the existence of liquid water. Since liquid water is believed to be essential for life as we know it, planets in the Goldilocks zone are considered more likely to have the potential for life.
The Goldilocks zone concept also applies to the idea of confidence in a professional career, which is the focus of today’s Hacking Academia video. Confidence is incredibly important, both personally and professionally. Your level of confidence in your own abilities will influence almost everything you do in your professional life. This includes applying for jobs, negotiating raises or promotions, and putting yourself forward for awards or leadership roles.
Confidence is also highly context-dependent. For example, I play a bit of tennis and do some running. I might feel confident entering a recreational league or fun run, but if I were suddenly placed in the Olympic 10,000-metre final, I would not feel confident at all. This shows that confidence must be aligned with the situation at hand. It doesn’t exist in isolation; it needs to match the context.
One framework I find useful is thinking of confidence as falling into three broad zones, with one of those split further into two subcategories. These zones can help us better understand and manage how confidence shows up in professional situations.
The first zone is the underconfident zone. This is one I encounter frequently through mentoring and supervision. In this zone, individuals do not believe they have the capabilities or experience needed for the task or opportunity, even when they actually do. There may be valid reasons behind the lack of confidence, such as prior setbacks or limited experience, but the result is often the same. Talented people hold themselves back from applying for roles, awards, or promotions.
The second zone is the Goldilocks zone. This is where your confidence is appropriately calibrated to the challenge you’re facing. You’re not overestimating or underestimating your ability. While this might sound like the ideal place to always be, that’s not necessarily the goal. Most people, in my view, don’t spend enough time in this zone. Instead, they either stay stuck in underconfidence or swing between the extremes. Spending more time in the Goldilocks zone can help with decision-making, personal growth, and career progression.
The third zone is overconfidence, which I would break into two subcategories. The first is moderate overconfidence. This often happens when someone has had a run of successes. They start to feel invincible and slightly overestimate their chances. This kind of overconfidence is common and usually not too damaging. The second is excessive overconfidence, often linked to what is known as the Dunning-Kruger effect. In this case, individuals have confidence levels that are completely out of sync with reality, and they may be unaware of it. This can lead to missteps and, occasionally, a harsh wake-up call.
As I mentioned earlier, I believe many people sit in the underconfident zone when they should not. This can significantly hold back their careers. They may not apply for things they are well qualified for, may not promote their work, or may undersell themselves during interviews or reviews. Part of the role of mentors and managers is to help people build confidence so that it reflects their actual capabilities more accurately.
On the other hand, I do believe there are times when it is appropriate—even useful—to dip into slight overconfidence. Some opportunities are statistically unlikely, such as fellowships or prestigious awards with low success rates. If a trusted mentor tells you that you have a genuine, albeit small, shot, then a touch of overconfidence might give you the motivation and boldness to apply. Being slightly overconfident in the right situation can be a strategic choice, especially when the cost of not trying is missing out altogether.
It is worth noting that if you are slightly overconfident—not arrogantly so, but just enough—you may receive feedback saying that you were “a little full-on” or “too confident.” That can feel like a criticism, but in many cases, it is actually a sign that your application made your value clear. People knew what you were aiming for. Submissions that are too timid can leave reviewers unsure of what you’re claiming or proposing. Being slightly bold in your self-assessment is often better than being overly cautious.
Confidence, and your ability to assess it accurately, is not something you can fully figure out on your own. You need input from trusted colleagues, mentors, and advisors who understand the field you’re in. They can help you see when you’re underselling yourself or when you might be overreaching. This kind of feedback is especially important because smart, capable people often misjudge their own confidence levels.
One of the best outcomes of asking for this kind of feedback is that others will often affirm that you do have what it takes. They will encourage you to go for that role or apply for that award, and their belief in you can help boost your confidence to the right level.
Of course, you can take self-reflection too far. Overanalyzing everything is not always helpful. But confidence is one of those areas where a bit more intentional thinking can go a long way. It is worth checking in with yourself and others about whether your confidence levels are appropriate for the things you’re doing or trying to do.
Ultimately, getting your confidence into the right zone more often can help maximize your chances of success. It can reduce the likelihood that you miss opportunities or go into something unprepared. It can also help support a healthier and more sustainable career trajectory.