My company may be considered progressive in that we have numerous women in leadership positions, but we are still in the minority. It’s not always easy, and because of biases and stereotypes we find that we must work harder to prove ourselves and gain respect. A 2011 McKinsey report noted that men are promoted based on potential, and women on past accomplishments (Barsch & Yee, 2011). I do see that the successful women I work with have the androgynous traits and characteristics of a successful leader: intelligence, social skills, initiative, and persuasion (Northouse, 2013), and confidence in addition to competence (Kay and Shipman, 2014). They are, however, often criticized for acting too much like men when they are aggressive, confident, decisive, and assertive, agentic characteristics which are typically seen as masculine (Northouse, 2013). Stop being so bossy we’re told!
What I find fascinating are the research findings that women are less likely to self-promote and initiate negotiations (Northouse, 2013). In her book Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg (2013) refers to what she calls the impostor syndrome where “women often judge their own performance as worse than it actually is, while men judge their own performance as better than it actually is.” Women will say they were lucky, or they were at the right place at the right time, to explain their achievements.This can also be explained by the confidence gap, which describes the difference in the ways that self-assurance is expressed by men and women (Kay & Shipman, 2014). An example is an internal Hewlett Packard study of personnel records conducted as part of their goal to increase the number of women in senior leadership roles; what they found was interesting. Women applied for a promotion only when they felt they met 100% of the qualifications, whereas men applied when they met only 60% (Kay & Shipman, 2014; Sandberg, 2013). That’s the confidence gap.
The good news is that confidence can be learned and acquired, and we can close that gap!
References:
Barsch, J., and Yee, L. (2011). Unlocking the full potential of women in the US economy. Retrieved from www.mckinsey.com.
Kay, K., and Shipman, C. (2014). The Confidence Gap. Retrieved from www.theatlantic.com.
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Sandberg, S. (2013). Lean In. New York: Random House.