A while back, I participated in a teleseminar with Marshall Goldsmith, a leading Executive coach and author of numerous books, including “Mojo” and “What Got You Here Won\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2t Get You There”. Marshall shared a lot of sage advice about coaching executives, but one piece about women leaders struck me the most. \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c5\u201cThe average woman is a better leader than the average man,\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c2\u009d he said. What held a lot of women back, according to him, was that women are in general \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c5\u201cmore perfectionistic\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c2\u009d, \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c5\u201ctoo hard on themselves\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c2\u009d, and \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c5\u201ccarry around a lot of guilt.\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c2\u009d The result is they can come across as a little less confident than men.<\/p>\n
Recently, a colleague\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s feedback for a female client included the advice: \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c5\u201cTrust yourself.\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c2\u009d Another female client stated she wanted to work on her confidence at work.<\/p>\n
Women at work often exhibit less confidence than men, but men can struggle with this issue too. Even when we think we do trust and believe in ourselves, we can sometimes give off the impression that we don\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2t by our choice of words and demeanor. Competence, knowledge, interpersonal skills, and education may be higher or equal to colleagues, but that apparent lack of self-confidence results in fewer promotions, less influence, and stifled success.<\/p>\n
In an article in this week’s Newsweek, <\/span>entitled, “The Beauty Advantage”, about how looks influence one\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s career, a statement buried in the piece caught my attention; \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c5\u201cAsked to rank employee attributes in order of importance, \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c2\u00a6 (hiring) managers placed looks above education: of nine character traits, it came in third, below experience (No. 1) and confidence (No. 2) , but above \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c5\u201cwhere a candidate went to school\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c2\u009d (No. 4).\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00c2\u009d<\/p>\n Confidence is the second most important attribute that managers look for in a potential employee.<\/p>\n One of the characteristics of a good leader is having a presence that conveys authority and a comfort in your own skin. Don\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2t second-guess yourself. Don\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2t apologize for your ideas. Don\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2t waiver in your convictions. Get rid of the guilt! Self-confidence is not the same thing as arrogance, cockiness, or being ego-driven. Self-confidence is about owning your talents and accomplishments and developing your own potential.<\/p>\n It begins with knowing yourself well … that<\/em> is the foundation of an excellent leader.<\/p>\n