We hear a lot about the importance of confidence when it comes to our careers.

You’ve probably heard about the ‘confidence gap’, which is specifically related to women feeling less confident than our male counterparts in the workplace, which can lead to us underestimating our own abilities and not putting ourselves forward for promotions and opportunities.

But here’s the thing, it’s a little more complicated than that.

When it comes to confidence at work, there are really two elements we need to be thinking about: 1. Building confidence and 2. Portraying confidence.

The difference may be subtle, but it’s important. So in today’s newsletter, I want to dive into the difference between building confidence / feeling confident, and demonstrating that confidence to those around us.

Let’s dive in.

Why does the confidence gap exist in the first place?

The confidence gap starts when we’re young, and is not a biological phenomenon; rather, it’s a product of our conditioning. Boys and girls are treated differently as we’re growing up, and this shapes our thought patterns long into adulthood.

The interesting part that many people don’t realize is that for women, confidence tends to follow achievement. Once we have proof we are good, we tend to feel more confident.

Because of this, the confidence gap actually narrows and eventually disappears as we get older and have more experience!

Why is no one talking about this part?

Instead of assuming women lack confidence early on, perhaps we should consider the possibility that men are simply overconfident before they’ve proven themselves 😉

Regardless, confidence is important for our careers, and if you’re struggling with a lack of confidence, it’s well worth investing in.

Why is building confidence so important?

The simple answer to this is that you don’t want to be the one to take yourself out of the race! When we’re feeling unconfident, we’re less likely to put up our hand and share a big idea or take a chance on that promotion.

Instead, you keep yourself small. You work hard with your head down and hope someone will notice. And this is not a good strategy!

Feeling confident will inspire you to take action and create the career you truly want. Not only that, when we feel confident, we’re more likely to show up unapologetically as our authentic selves.

And when you start leaning into your authentic self as a leader, the magic happens.

Why do we also need to demonstrate confidence?

I read a great HBR article that gave the perspective that women often feel as confident as our male counterparts, but we’re perceived as less confident.

Ladies, this is a problem!

You may have heard someone (including me) share that leaders and colleagues often use confidence as a proxy for competence when evaluating us. The truth is, our brains just aren’t all that great at assessing competence, so we tend to assume that when someone is confident, they are also competent.

Of course, this may not be true at all, but knowing this is important, because if you feel confident on the inside but don’t show that to the people around you, it could be hurting your leadership brand.

You may be missing out on the confidence-competence association!

That’s why I always specify to the women I work with that it’s important to both build confidence AND showcase that confidence to our leaders and peers.

How to get started

First, ask yourself which of these areas you struggle with: feeling confident, demonstrating confidence or both? Get honest!

If you’re lacking inner confidence, the best ways to start building it are:

1. Focusing on your self-talk (let’s face it, we believe what we tell ourselves)

2. Getting outside your comfort zone and doing something hard

3. Taking action!

If instead you’re struggling to demonstrate confidence, focus on your voice tone, body language and verbal language. These are often what communicate to those around us that we are confident leaders.

And if you want to learn more about any of this and how I can help, reply back here and be sure to check out my event:

Tickets for the ​Own The Room Summit ​dropped to the waitlist last week, and are now available!!

Join me for a one-day event jam-packed with interactive workshops and sessions that will have you leaving as a more confident and influential leader.

You’ll get to spend the day with me and a special guest to perfect your elevator pitch, create your vault of influential leadership stories, learn to speak and present with confidence and authority, and gain clarity into the authentic leader you are ready to be.

It’s going to be transformational!

Until next time friends… ✌️💜

Katy