So... pretty much the opposite of the way he actually feels right now.

Erik used to be very confident... outwardly. Basically, even after fifty years, he's not terribly confident, because every day he lives with the fact that the wrong decision can kill people, and sometimes has. That thought keeps him awake at night. But by the same token, he's very good at faking it, and sometimes even almost tricking himself, because a leader doesn't get to second guess himself. 

Anyway, working on editing now. :-)