Finding confidence can be a challenge — especially for women

For the past 17 years, the Australian Businesswomen’s Network (ABN) has honoured a group of successful female business leaders for their achievements in their field. This year, here at ABN we’ve found that there is one specific habit that have led all of these women down the the path to success. That habit is the Confidence Habit. Unfortunately, research has shown that women struggle with the Confidence Habit much more than men do. In fact, in a study conducted by the Institute of Leadership and Management, in the United Kingdom, it was found that, when asked how confident they feel in their professions, half the women reported self-doubt about their job performance and careers, compared with fewer than a third of the men. In another study by researchers from Cornell and Washington State University, both male and female participants were asked to assess their performance on a quiz. Women estimated their performance significantly lower than the men did… and yet, it turned out that when the grades were calculated, women did just as well as men in their actual scores. The study also revealed that not only were women more likely to underestimate their capabilities, they were also less likely to put themselves forward for future opportunities based on that under-estimation. On the other hand, men were almost twice as likely to put themselves forward for the next opportunity offered by the researchers. So that tells us there is a particular confidence challenge for women. Compared with men, women don’t consider themselves as ready for opportunities, they predict they’ll do worse on tests, and they generally downplay their abilities. A confidence gap certainly exists. And with scientific evidence proving that CONFIDENCE is just as important as COMPETENCE in determining success… it’s time we, as female business owners, put the focus on supporting each other to build more confidence. Thankfully, the inspiring women of the 2015 Businesswomen’s Hall of Fame have led by example. Download this very special Keepsake Booklet to learn the five ways these businesswomen are cultivating the confidence habit. You can also watch our Breaking Through webinar to gain inspiration and motivation if your business is leaving you feeling overwhelmed, stuck, anxious, or frustrated. Learn how some of the most successful businesswomen have broken through these challenges and made their businesses stronger.