From Boardrooms to Classrooms: How Confidence Grows When We Show Up

Stacey Shortall

At a recent Homework Club, I saw a corporate volunteer sit with a young child who was struggling to read. She showed up, stuck with it, and helped the child sound out each word. When the sentence finally came, the child’s smile was pure confidence - built through action.

That small moment carries a bigger truth. Confidence, whether in a child learning to read or in a country navigating economic headwinds, does not come from mood alone. It grows when people keep showing up, making steady choices, and doing the work. Which is why this year’s NZ Herald Mood of the Boardroom survey caught my attention.

It showed confidence in the economy has slipped - down to 2.81 out of five from 3.23 last year. Almost nine in ten business leaders worry New Zealand isn’t investing enough in energy. More than three-quarters want interest rates to keep falling. And many highlighted reputation and trust as their biggest risks.

Importantly, the survey also revealed that much of the uncertainty boards feel comes from not knowing whether current policy settings will deliver the clarity and investment our country needs. That is not about pointing fingers - governments everywhere face complex challenges. But it does underline that confidence cannot come from Wellington alone.

The survey shows where leaders feel pressure. But pressure alone does not erode confidence -inaction does. Confidence is steadied when government, boards and communities keep showing up, making deliberate choices and following through.

In my community work I see confidence grow in simple acts.  

At Homework Clubs, when a volunteer helps a child to read. In the Mothers Project, when imprisoned mums seek help for their children. Through HelpTank, when professionals lend their expertise to charities.

The way confidence is built in communities is no different to how it is built in business - through steady, visible actions that people can trust. I see it in a child who gains belief after reading with a volunteer, and I see it in a board that steadies an organisation by planning for tough scenarios. In both cases, confidence grows when people show up and do the work.

In my legal work, I sit with directors who are stress-testing strategies, asking the “what if?” questions, and preparing for shocks. That practical work matters. And when it connects business goals with wider social outcomes - creating jobs, investing in skills, or supporting communities - it strengthens confidence right across the system.

But confidence is fragile if words and actions do not match. Communities know this. Employees know this. Investors know this. That’s why the survey’s focus on reputation and trust is really about confidence. It is weakened when talk runs ahead of delivery. It is strengthened when actions and values align. Boards that act with integrity and transparency don’t just protect reputation - they anchor the trust that carries confidence forward.

The survey also shows how quickly global pressures land on New Zealand’s shores. More than three-quarters of CEOs said their boards actively review geopolitical risk. At the same time, fewer than one in three firms expect to hire more staff this year. That caution is understandable. But it is also a reminder that confidence is not about waiting for perfect conditions. It comes when boards act anyway - preparing for shocks, investing in skills, and making steady commitments that carry people through uncertainty.

The Mood of the Boardroom survey is a mirror. But mirrors only matter if we act on what we see. From boardrooms to classrooms to prison visiting rooms, I have learned the same truth: confidence grows when actions match words. The steady work already happening in our businesses and our communities is what will carry confidence forward. And improve the 2026 mood.