I tend to think out loud and express a lot of complexity and nuance in my answers before settling on a conclusion. I have been interviewing recently, and in one interview I did this, resulting in a mixed review from someone who mistook thoughtful consideration for uncertainty and inexperience. I quickly diagnosed the problem upon hearing this and in subsequent interviews exuded confident, almost belligerent certainty in my answers. Naturally, this was very well-received.

Some in my previous organization rewarded certainty in the short term so long as it was borne out by the long term. There was a certain individual who was confident of everything he said. He was initiatially very successful in the organzatiom before eventually being isolated as a result of failure to produce long-term results. His bullshit eventually caught up with him.

People like to think of themselves as rational, but we've evolved to respond to leadership, and we equate leadership with confidence. If there's a lesson here, I suppose it's that it's important to learn when to exude confidence—and when not to.