Diving into the Stats: Women and Self-Confidence
❗️ According to the 2020/21 Women’s Entrepreneurship Report by GEM Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, women report a staggering 20% lower confidence in their ability to start a business compared to men. Interestingly, no region or income level sees women rating higher than men.
❗️ The 2018 Study on Entrepreneurial Diversity and Gender Stereotypes by the Women Initiative Foundation, in partnership with BNP Paribas Wealth Management, reveals that 86% of French women entrepreneurs and 63% in Germany experience self-censorship and a lack of self-confidence.
Confession Time: My Confidence Rollercoaster Ride
🙋🏻 Here I am, raising my hand, admitting that my self-confidence takes a spin on the rollercoaster now and then. And you know what? That's perfectly okay.
Let's Talk About Self-Confidence: A Must for Female Leaders
What false and limiting beliefs are occupying our heads? It's time to speak them out loud and create a safe space for discussion. During coaching sessions, when I ask women about their appreciated qualities, they often share insightful answers.
At times, they might shy away from expressing positive things about themselves due to a desire to appear modest.
But the breakthrough happens when I push for more. Asking "and for what else, what else, what else...". The women discover additional answers about their qualities, strengths, and the challenges they've successfully faced.
The Importance of Confidence for Female Leaders:
Being confident is more than just a personal quality for female leaders. A confident leader makes people trust them, encourages new ideas, and handles tough situations really well.
💡 Why It Matters:
Trust Building: Confidence builds trust. It's a key essential for creating and upholding a positive and productive work environment.
Innovation Motor: Confident leaders are more likely to encourage innovative thinking. They create a culture where team members feel empowered to share ideas.
Resilience: Confidence helps leaders tackle problems directly. It's like having a tool to make hard decisions and handle tough situations, making sure things keep moving forward even when times are tough.
The Reality of Not Feeling Confident:
Being always confident? I am not sure it is always possible. Just like being always motivated, happy, or creative. We have different seasons just like the year—daily, weekly, monthly.
What I believe is that we can experience confidence, grow it, and ensure our "confidence bucket" has enough water for those moments of self-doubt.
Important reminder: Confidence is not linear. It is ok and totally normal to feel less confident at certain times.
The Confidence Journey
To experience confidence, we need courage, action, time for clarity, and support. By taking action, we show ourselves what we're truly capable of. We learn to trust ourselves, silence our inner critic, and create a pattern of positive thinking.
Collecting these experiences helps us overcome our inner critic, growing a new thinking routine and behavior. It's about feeling, seeing, and understanding our capabilities and our potential. That is confidence to me.
Does confidence mean our self-doubts disappear? Not entirely, but we can learn to manage the inner critic instead of letting it manage us.