Believing the Evidence

By Sindy Rodriguez

For most of my professional life, I have carried a to-do list.

Not because I am obsessed with checking boxes or because I need everything perfectly organized. I carry a to-do list because I care deeply about following through. If I tell someone I will do something, I want to make sure it gets done. If a board member asks a question, a donor needs a response, or a colleague is waiting for information, I don’t want it to slip through the cracks.

To me, a to-do list has never been about tasks. It has always been about accountability.

Yet there was a period in my career when I began to question whether this strength was actually a weakness.

I worked in an environment where my focus on accountability and follow-through was not always viewed the same way I viewed it. Whenever I pushed a project forward, followed up on an unanswered question, or worked to close the loop on an issue, I often felt as though my sense of urgency was being questioned.

Over time, I began to internalize those messages.

Maybe I was too focused on getting things done. Maybe I needed to be more patient. Maybe I was pushing issues forward before they were ready. Maybe my desire to follow up and close the loop wasn’t professionalism—it was simply my need for completion.

The thing about spending enough time in an environment that doesn’t fully value your natural strengths is that you can begin to see those strengths through someone else’s lens.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was collecting evidence. Evidence of reliability. Evidence of leadership. Evidence that I could be trusted. I only knew that I was doing the work.

Over time, I found myself hesitating. Instead of acting, I waited. Instead of following up, I held back. Instead of trusting my instincts, I questioned them.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that I wasn’t becoming a better professional. I was becoming a less confident version of myself.

While I was second-guessing my instincts, things often remained unfinished. Decisions sat on desks. Conversations stalled. Follow-up never happened. Issues that could have been resolved lingered longer than they should have.

Yet somehow, I kept believing that my desire to move things forward was the problem.

Then something unexpected happened.

A leadership transition created new opportunities and new perspectives within the organization. For the first time in years, I found myself in an environment where I was trusted to do what I do best.

I didn’t take a course.

I didn’t earn a new certification.

I didn’t suddenly develop new skills.

Instead, I returned to the person I had always been.

I started making my lists without apology. I followed up when something needed attention. I tracked commitments. I documented action items. I made sure people received answers. Most importantly, I stopped second-guessing the habits that had always helped me succeed.

What happened next surprised me.

The very habits I had once questioned became the reasons people trusted me.

Board members relied on me.

Leadership relied on me.

Colleagues sought me out because they knew that if something landed on my desk, it wouldn’t be forgotten.

Projects moved forward. Problems were addressed. Commitments were honored.

For the first time in a long time, I had evidence that my instincts were not flawed. They were valuable.

As women, many of us have experienced moments when our strengths were reframed as shortcomings.

We are told we are too direct.

Too organized.

Too ambitious.

Too emotional.

Too persistent.

Too quiet.

Too loud.

Too much.

When we hear these messages often enough, we begin to edit ourselves. We soften our edges. We silence our instincts. We spend energy trying to become who someone else thinks we should be rather than embracing who we already are.

The danger isn’t the criticism itself.

The danger is believing it without examining the evidence.

When I look back now, I realize that my to-do list was never the issue.

The list represented responsibility.

It represented follow-through.

It represented my commitment to serving others well.

The real problem was that I allowed someone else’s perception to carry more weight than my own experience and results.

I spent years searching for confidence, believing it would arrive when I achieved enough, learned enough, or proved myself enough.

What I eventually discovered is that confidence doesn’t work that way.

Confidence isn’t believing you’re perfect.

Confidence isn’t believing you never make mistakes.

Confidence isn’t believing everyone will agree with you.

Confidence is trusting yourself enough to recognize your strengths, even when others don’t see them.

It is believing the evidence.

The evidence was there all along.

The evidence was in the projects completed, the relationships built, the problems solved, and the trust I earned.

The evidence was in the people who depended on me.

The evidence was in the work itself.

Today, I still carry a to-do list.

Every morning, I write down what needs to be accomplished. Every evening, I review what was completed and what still requires attention.

And yes, I still enjoy checking things off.

Not because I am obsessed with the list.

Because every checkmark represents a promise kept.

More importantly, every checkmark reminds me of a lesson I wish I had learned much sooner.

It took me a long time to realize that confidence isn’t believing you’re perfect. Sometimes confidence is simply believing the evidence over the voice that told you otherwise.

If there is a voice in your life telling you that your strengths are weaknesses, I encourage you to

look at the evidence.

Look at the results.

Look at the lives you’ve impacted.

Look at the work you’ve accomplished.

Then trust what the evidence is telling you.

You may discover, as I did, that the very thing you’ve been questioning is the very thing that makes you exceptional.

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Sindy Rodriguez is the Senior Director of Governance & Administration for Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay, where she supports executive leadership and board governance. As a member of Great Dames, she has found inspiration, mentorship, and a community of women who encourage one another to lead with confidence. Sindy lives in Delaware with her husband and is the proud grandmother of two perfect little boys.