There has been quite a bit of discussion in the media recently about the gender pay gap. While I acknowledge that it’s a serious issue and one that should be immediately rectified, there is another gap that hasn’t received quite as much attention.
The Gender Confidence Gap.
The significance of this gap is obvious when we consider that confidence is a more accurate indicator of success than competence.
So how confident are you?
One of the most confidence reducing talks we have inside our head is “when I’m more competent I will be more confident”. Not true. Addressing your confidence issues will actually assist you in building your levels of competency.
So often, women are, in fact, competent enough to take on an opportunity that comes their way, but the lack of confidence holds them back.
It’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation. When we are more confident, we don’t fear failure nearly as much. We’re more resilient, our confidence tells us that we’ll survive even if we fail. Of course, when we do fail and then bounce back, we learn lessons from the experience which will of course increase our competence levels.
So how does your confidence rate? Is it at the same level as your competence? Or do you hold back from taking opportunities and risks that you are well equipped to handle?
As women we tend to wait until we absolutely meet every criteria before we feel confident in our abilities.
When we look at the difference in salaries and leadership positions between women and men, it makes sense to attribute at least part of it to a lack of confidence.
We need to change these statistics, and we need to build our confidence.
Here’s a few tips to get you started:
- Believe in Yourself
Easier said than done I know, but it’s vital to your confidence and professional development. Ask others what they believe your strengths are; focus on them instead of on your weaknesses.
- Have clear goals and objectives
Confidence grows when you know what you are doing and why. Having a long term vision of where you want to go is great, but it’s difficult to implement that on a day to day basis. Chunk down that vision to smaller more manageable objectives that will give you direction and achievable goals. Making progress is a great confidence boost.
- Invest in your development
Leadership and career development is an ongoing process. Learning is invaluable to your professional growth and development. Further qualifications, seminars and workshops will increase your skill set and your confidence.
- Be Prepared
Try to avoid putting yourself in situations where you feel out of your depth. Lack of planning and preparation can make the most confident of people uncomfortable, don’t put yourself under that sort of pressure.
- Stay Motivated
Motivation and positivity is infectious, the more you practice, the more natural it becomes. Surround yourself with positive people, avoid the negative naysayers. Not only are you are going to increase your positivity you will be more productive and confident.
If you would like more tips on building your confidence you can download our LeadHERship Confidence Boosting Tips here.
Confidence is not only a vital ingredient in leadership, it is key to your professional growth and success. We need to consciously decide to work on our confidence. Like most things we build, it doesn’t happen instantly. Be realistic and push yourself outside of your comfort zone. Give yourself small milestones to achieve and celebrate them.
