Where Does Confidence Come From? Competence Not Clichés
Confidence. It’s a word that gets thrown around a lot in ag—and for good reason. Right now, it’s in short supply.
Despite strong payouts and decent schedules, many farmers are feeling under pressure. The banks are pulling the handbrake on credit. Compliance is going up. The rural-urban divide isn’t improving. And for many rural professionals and businesses, the mood has gone from quietly confident to cautiously concerned.
We see it in the work we do every day. Sales teams doubting themselves. Marketers second-guessing. Managers lacking the certainty to make a call and back it. Confidence is wobbling.
Here’s the thing though: confidence is an inside game, not an outside one.
It doesn’t come from what’s happening out there in the market or in Wellington. It comes from what’s happening in here—in your head, and in your habits. And that’s why we keep banging the drum on this one core idea:
True confidence comes from competence.
Not fluff. Not fake it till you make it. Competence.
You Can’t Think Your Way Into Confidence
Confidence isn’t some magical mindset you manifest. You don’t get it from an inspirational quote on LinkedIn. You build it by doing the work. By learning. By training. By becoming better.
Want to feel more confident in front of the client, at the boardroom table or behind the mic? Get better at your craft. Know your numbers. Know your product. Know your customer. Practice until it’s second nature.
That’s how confidence is built—through action, not affirmation.
Confidence isn’t something you wait to feel. It’s something you earn through repetition and resilience. Through feedback. Through failure. Through doing.
Denial Costs Revenue
One of the biggest threats we see in rural businesses right now isn’t external—it’s internal. It’s the mindset that says, “I already know this”, “I don’t need training”, or worse, “She’ll be right.”
This kind of fixed mindset is costing rural businesses real money—10–15% of revenue by our estimates.
Being unwilling to upskill or learn is dangerous. It’s like jumping out of a plane with a parachute that won’t open. And when it gets exposed—at a field day, on stage at a conference, or in a sales meeting—it’s not just embarrassing. It’s damaging.
Confidence without competence is just arrogance. And arrogance gets found out fast.
Security Comes From Skills
Confidence is about control. And control comes from having the right tools and skills to handle whatever comes your way.
When you’re competent, you don’t flinch. You’ve seen this before. You’ve trained for it. You’ve got systems, strategy and structure. That’s what gives you the edge—and the calm to say “I’ve got this.”
In rural sales and marketing, this isn’t optional. It’s essential. Your clients can smell fake a mile away. What they’re looking for—and what they trust—is quiet, competent confidence.
Competence Takes Time
You can’t order competence online. You can’t wing it either.
Surgeons, pilots, architects—they all train for years before they’re let loose. Same applies in ag. If you want to be a highly-paid, highly-respected, highly-effective rural professional, you need to invest in your skills.
Competence takes time, training, testing and a tonne of discipline.
It’s not easy. It takes sacrifice. But the return is worth it. Because once you’ve built real competence, the confidence follows naturally. And so do the results.
Final Word
If you’re feeling low on confidence, don’t just work on your mindset. Work on your skillset.
Get honest. Ask yourself: What don’t I know? Where am I soft? Where could I sharpen up?
Then do something about it.
Competence is the foundation of confidence. It’s what gives you control, clarity, and commercial certainty in a world that’s anything but.
So stop talking. Start training. And remember: security comes from skills.
