Have you ever shied away from taking on a role or opportunity because you didn\u2019t feel confident enough? Perhaps your inner critic told you that you weren\u2019t yet ready, weren\u2019t capable enough, or didn\u2019t have enough experience. Perhaps the voice in your head asked: \u201cWhy me?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
If you can relate, you\u2019re among the majority of women with whom I\u2019ve worked. I recently asked more than 120 women, from areas including the U.S., UK, Australia, Georgia, Italy, India, Jamaica, and Bermuda: If you\u2019ve ever avoided risks, what factors and reasons contributed to this? More than 70% reported that self-doubt, or not having enough belief in themselves, their capabilities, or their skills, was a driving factor.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
As one high-profile executive told me: \u201cEvery day I doubt myself. I doubt that I am good enough to be where I am.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
This shouldn\u2019t come as a surprise. We know self-doubt is a pervasive and often paralyzing concern, particularly for women. A\u00a0study\u00a0by psychologists at Cornell and Washington State highlighted higher levels of self-doubt in women. Research has also shown that women will apply for a job\u00a0only if they meet all of the qualifications, while men will apply when they fulfill only 60%. Another recent\u00a0study\u00a0identified a substantial gender gap when it comes to self-promotion, with women systematically providing less favorable assessments of their own past performance and potential future ability. Ultimately, men take more chances on themselves, and that pays dividends in the long run.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
While this pattern of self-doubt emerged again and again in studies, my interactions, and my client work, I also noticed another commonality: These women\u2019s self-doubts weren\u2019t sabotaging their success. The vast majority of successful women leaders I\u2019ve interviewed and coached have built vibrant and fulfilling careers even while facing self-doubt.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
What these women also had in common is courage in the absence of confidence \u2014 a trait that is often\u00a0weaponized against women\u00a0and used to explain why they fail to achieve career goals. My work has found that successful women take decisive action to move forward even while grappling with fears and doubts and questioning their own \u201creadiness.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\u201cAs women, we often feel like we have to be 100% ready in order to move forward. But, if you are 50% or 75% there, jump. Just do it,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Megan Costello, former executive director of the Boston Mayor\u2019s Office for Women\u2019s Advancement.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
An added bonus? Confidence is the byproduct of courage. The executives I\u2019ve spoken with shared that with each challenge accepted and conquered, they gained confidence. \u201cGaining more responsibility has given me reason to believe in myself. Now, I\u2019m the president of a brand,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Julie Hauser-Blanner, former president of Brioche Dor\u00e9e, a Canadian bakery chain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
By refocusing our internal narratives on courage instead of confidence, women can take bold actions in the face of self-doubt and fear. Here are three strategies to get you started.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Micro acts of courage\u00a0\u2014 seemingly small-scale acts that have incremental impacts over time and long-term returns \u2014 are key to unlocking a courageous mindset. As Su-Mei Thompson, CEO of Media Trust, shared: \u201cIt is not just about taking a few big risks but about pushing yourself each day to get outside of your comfort zone.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Early in her career at Unilever, Leena Nair often found herself in rooms with few other women, where it felt intimidating to speak up. She came up with a method to encourage her own micro acts of courage. \u201cI used to have a little book in which every time I spoke up, I would draw a star,\u201d she told me during our discussion at the Global Unilever Headquarters in London. \u201cIf I opened my mouth five times, then I would draw five stars. If I made a point that really resonated, I gave myself double stars. By doing this, I kept myself accountable.\u201d These micro acts led to long-term rewards \u2014 Nair rose to become the first female, first Asian, and youngest-ever CHRO of Unilever, and then went on to become CEO of Chanel.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Courage begets courage. It\u2019s a muscle that gets stronger each time you use it, no matter how small the act.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Nervous to start in your working environment? Start with courageous acts outside work. Courage is a transferable mindset that then permeates all aspects of your life.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
One woman with whom I worked made a goal of going on a dinner or date or lunch with someone new every week so that she could expand her friendships and dating prospects in a new city, while becoming more connected. Others will go out of their comfort zone and join a gym or fitness class that they previously would have shied away from. Others started saying no more often and protecting time for themselves, rather than trying to please others.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
DEI executive Karen Brown shared that she pushes herself outside of her comfort zone in her personal life by \u201cconstantly stretching myself to learn, especially that which is unfamiliar to me. This could range from traveling to countries with cultures that are completely opposite of what I\u2019m accustomed to, attending an event, listening to and\/or reading content outside my area of expertise.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
A strategy used by Dr. Elizabeth O\u2019Day, who founded Olaris, Inc., a precision diagnostics company working to change how diseases are treated, is to continue to make a daily commitment to going beyond her comfort zone, even when met with resistance.\u00a0Now in her 30s, O\u2019Day serves as the company\u2019s CEO, co-chairs the World Economic Forum\u2019s Global Future Council on Biotechnology, and is a member of Scientific American\u2019s steering committee for the publication\u2019s \u201cTop 10 Emerging Technologies.\u201d However, her impressive r\u00e9sum\u00e9 doesn\u2019t tell the full story of the challenges she has overcome.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\u201cEvery day as a young female scientist CEO in biotech, there are challenges, and it takes a lot of courage to face these challenges,\u201d she said. When her company was in the startup phase, O\u2019Day often faced investors who would ask \u201cridiculous or sometimes insulting\u201d questions, and even challenge her expertise and achievements. \u201cEvery time that I was asked to derive mathematical equations or list a dozen metabolic pathways and their links to disease, I would do it without error. Yet, rarely did it translate into the investment that I was seeing male counterparts with far less data or degrees receive.\u201d O\u2019Day\u2019s experience tracks with the numerous\u00a0studies\u00a0showing that women receive more scrutiny, including doubt-generating statements, than their male counterparts.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Does O\u2019Day always feel confident? No. As she shares, \u201cI often remember the quote by Mary Anne Radmacher, \u2018Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, I will try again tomorrow.\u2019<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
As Ana\u00efs Nin, a twentieth-century French-Cuban-American diarist and writer, said: \u201cLife shrinks or expands in proportion to one\u2019s courage.\u201d Your career is no different. It\u2019s time to refocus your efforts from seeking an elusive feeling of confidence to taking decisive action with courage.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
By Christie Hunter Arscott<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Have you ever shied away from taking on a role or opportunity because you didn\u2019t feel confident enough? Perhaps your inner critic told you that you weren\u2019t yet ready, weren\u2019t capable enough, or didn\u2019t have enough experience. Perhaps the voice in your head asked: \u201cWhy me?\u201d If you can relate, you\u2019re among the majority of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4288,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[313],"tags":[538,515,509,546,545],"class_list":["post-4186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wellbeing-talks","tag-courage","tag-dharma","tag-duvidha","tag-humility","tag-readiness","enable-dropcap","disable-2-columns"],"yoast_head":"\n