Almost any study you read will say at some point that women lack confidence and cite it as one of the reasons why we don’t progress further into senior management.
There are lots of reasons why we don’t progress. This is the main one:
It’s hard to feel confident at work when everything you bring to the table as a woman is subtly, subconsciously viewed as second best, by both genders often, because you’re not a chap, and because you bear children. Men designed our business world and they made the rules. Many organisations still (unconsciously-biased or otherwise) reward male type behaviour, whatever gender it comes from.
It’s hard to be confident in your ability when you’re not comfortable in your skin. The good news is lots of forward thinking organisations recognise that what women bring is of value, and improves the bottom line; they are taking steps to address this inherent bias and one day soon (I live in hope) this will be a very redundant post. Until then, keep on keeping on and remember, it’s not you, it’s them!
If you’d like to speak a day thinking about you and the next step in your brilliant career, come and join us on Speak Up in May. We have a few places left but be quick!
RenewYou, My Tried and Tested Career Booster!
RenewYou has helped thousands of women make positive and lasting change in their lives. I deliver it one-to-one as part of a bespoke coaching package for women looking to move into leadership, to progress their career, or who wish to be the absolute best version of themselves.
Posted on April 20th, 2016 by Jane
