Confident Women Aren't the Problem - Our Gender Biases Are

"“You should watch your tone and how overconfident you are becoming,” my former boss warned me. This was our performance review conversation, where he started off by asking me how I thought the year went. I had been excited to share my accomplishments, including exceeding the metrics for all three of my goals.”"

"“My former boss had been the one to tell me I was quiet and not visible enough at work. He said I had to be more confident. And then when I followed his coaching, I was being punished for it. In fact, this time, my performance review feedback now included that I should ‘balance that high level of confidence with some humility.’”"

"“In many talent reviews and succession planning meetings, too often, we question a woman's lack of confidence. She needs to speak up more. She needs to advocate for herself. She needs to own her accomplishments and tell leadership about the impact she's making.”"

"“According to new data from Workleap, 78% of women say they're actually pretty comfortable promoting their professional achievements. Some women don't need more tips on how to be more confident - they already are. They need to be working in more environments where they aren't being penalized for being confident.”"

A performance review experience shows how confidence can be judged inconsistently, with feedback shifting from being too quiet to being overconfident. Women are often questioned for lack of confidence in talent reviews and succession planning, with expectations to speak up, advocate for themselves, and communicate impact. New data indicates many women already feel comfortable promoting their achievements. The main need is not additional confidence coaching, but environments that do not penalize confidence and reduce the burden of constant self-advocacy. Leaders can address this by creating cultures that recognize contributions and distribute visibility across team members.

Read at Entrepreneur