they're confident in matters to the degree that they're separated from subjective impressions. yeah, they can position themselves well in tactical settings, find ways to get people to work towards their ends, etc.; but they actually seem to lack a lot of confidence in the significance of their actions, and whether they even make sense to them internally. this was confirmed yet again last week. I ended up giving a large amount of interpersonal advice to an SLE female who was having issues with a sappy, manipulative IEI boyfriend. ('advice' being, essentially: "act this way, to achieve this result"). the contrast between her certainty of control over him and the anxiety that manifested in something as trivial as the wording of a text message, was comical, to say the least. but it made sense, and in a way the 'dog on a leash' stereotype generally holds true, with all IxFp-ExTp pairings.
SLEs don't need a bolstering of confidence; more of an undercurrent to stabilize and guide their forays, which, despite being carried out with a tactical precision, don't naturally stem from any broader strategical mindset.