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The Confidence Code

the Science and Art of Self-assurance-- What Women Should Know
ksoles
May 28, 2014ksoles rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
In their 2009 best-seller, "Womenomics," BBC World News correspondent Katty Kay and Good Morning America contributor Claire Shipman argued for a woman's right to demand flexibility in the workplace. With "The Confidence Code," they now offer an insightful look into how internalizing cultural stereotypes can hinder a woman's career advancement. After interviewing many successful professional women, the authors found a disturbing pattern: compared with men, most women didn't consider themselves ready for promotion. They harboured the false belief that they should neither appear too aggressive nor "cause any bother" in order to reap rewards. Women hope their natural talents and silent hard work will catch their superiors' attention but, in reality, their careers tend to prematurely plateau without the self-assertiveness and confidence that propel their male counterparts. Where does such self-doubt and docility come from? Kay and Shipman's investigation took them from the courts of the WNBA to the fortress of the International Monetary Fund and a conversation with its president, Christine Lagarde, one of the most powerful women in the world. Their interviews ultimately confirmed the authors' beliefs about the significant contrast between the typical male approach of pushing forward aggressively in the form of dominating meetings, for example, and that of women, who hold back due to numerous factors: a lack of resilience, a drive for perfection and a tendency to dwell on past mistakes. After discussions with neuropsychologists and geneticists, the authors dismiss the importance of biological components; more important is choice. Does pleasing fewer people, acting more impulsively and risking failure justify getting ahead?