career confidence
Did you know that in the United States and a number of other countries, women now actually surpass men in educational achievement… However it’s still more common that men move into positions with profit-and-loss responsibilities while equally capable women are channeled into support roles.
Why does this happen? Is it because women aren’t ambitious enough? Are we not speaking up about what we want to accomplish in our careers? What is the deal???
Women are sometimes over-looked and discriminated against in the work place. Not at every company, of course… Whether it’s directly or indirectly. It does happen!
Having said that – we CANNOT let other people’s ignorance define our future. We need to take action! Study your company, the leadership etc. Become the force you know you are. Be more clear in your communication. Don’t apologize for your existence! Speak up when you see an opportunity you want to pursue! Go for it!
When i started working for a big legacy brand here in New York City, i was a bit timid in the beginning. I was joining this big company after serving as the “go to person” for all things digital at a very small boutique agency outside the city center. I was now in the “big leagues” so naturally i was a bit taken back and had emotions of feeling that i wasn’t enough bubbling inside of me. What i ended up doing though was to put my head down and work really hard, network within the company, highlight any (personal) contributions made to successful projects etc. I spoke up when i didn’t agree (i had done my research so i always had an alternative solution ready). I challenged process!
What i also did was to start saving all praise i received… It usually came in a written (email) format so i saved those emails in a separate folder. Doing this helped me “remember” that i’m good at what i do, that i’ve made positive and valuable contributions. I came across an article in the Wall Street Journal that actually mentioned starting a “brag book”.
“…start a “brag book”—a journal for saving notes about one’s accomplishments, to aid recall of “rock-star moments…”
The article specifically writes about strategies that’ll help women build career confidence. The article is pretty lengthy but it discusses a studies about women in the work place. Here are some points/data i was able to extract:
- Some 63% of women enter the workforce with the confidence that theycan rise to senior management, compared with 75% of men.By mid-career, only 57% of women still feel that way, compared with 66% of men.
- Women’s lack of self-assurance is often especially visible in meetingswhere they’re outnumbered by men. They speak up less and are interrupted more often by others who criticize or disagree with them.
- Women’s lack of confidence to being encouraged during childhood to be compliant and agreeable and to strive for perfection, rather than to compete and take risks.
- A lack of confidence, or the expectation that you can handle tough tasks even if you haven’t done them before, is more common among women than men, and it can be a powerful brake on their careers.
If you want to excel in your career, you need confidence.
Here are 2 easy ways to boost it!
- Knowledge – grow your knowledge. Research your industry, competitors, what is your company really good at, what areas can your company improve in, what’s in the horizon for your industry etc. What do you know about contextually relevant industries/verticals?
- Questions – ASK questions. If there is something you don’t understand, ask for clarification!!
FYI – i previously covered an article that described how to make women more confident. Check it out here.
