Greg Stevenson argues that constantly trying to prove yourself signals insecurity and erodes trust. Real seniority comes from dropping the performative behavior and letting go of needing to be impressive. Quiet confidence is what people actually trust.
The need to prove it is the exact thing capping you. The drive that got you here, proving yourself over and over, is the thing now holding you back. A room reads someone who still needs to prove it, and it reads someone who has nothing left to prove, and it trusts the second more. When you're performing for approval, people feel it, and it makes them uneasy. The most senior presence in any room is quiet because that person stopped auditioning. You build it by subtracting the need to be seen as impressive. Follow this channel if that lands a little too close to home.
