The importance of the mental toolkit: self-confidence and self-belief
Personal barriers
of respondents cited self-confidence as a barrier, with
citing self-belief in ability to be a leader.
The issue
Self-confidence and self-belief are crucial factors in career advancement, and a lack of confidence can hinder women from pursuing leadership positions. 17% of respondents cited self-confidence as a barrier, with 16% citing self-belief in ability to be a leader. 37% of women said that gender bias experienced in the workplace had impacted their confidence in their abilities at work, creating a vicious circle of harmful thinking.
There are businesses championing truly inclusive workplaces where women feel valued. B2B marketing consultancy, Man Bites Dog, has been campaigning to close the “Gender Say Gap”, a term coined to highlight the invisibility of women and diverse leaders as expert authorities in business and public life. It has been campaigning since 2019 and has raised the issue across television, social media and the House of Commons.
The “Gender Say Gap” can take many forms. Women may find it harder to deliver messages or be heard due to the expectation that women leaders should somehow be softer in their language and approach.
Unintentionally limiting exposure to speaking and media opportunities also reinforces the Gender Say Gap. One woman we interviewed noted that in their jointly owned business, it was her husband who was always approached by media for interviews and quotes. Lack of exposure can make it harder to be seen as equal experts to male peers.
What our panel said
Our leadership panel acknowledged that women often neglected to put themselves forward and might avoid difficult conversations around pay and promotion.
"Women won't necessarily put themselves forward for those C-suite roles. Do I want to see more women on boards? Yes, absolutely. But I think we need to be doing that by putting ourselves forward."
- Rebecca Taylor
“I think women are sometimes afraid to have conflict and conversations around their worth and their value.”
- Kim Simmonds
“The parameters for women in leadership positions to succeed are very narrow: women are expected to exert authority with warmth and humour. There is little scope to be ‘disagreeable’”.
- Jenni Emery
“We have a culture which sees men’s accomplishments as them being confident and women’s accomplishments as them being arrogant, so there is work to be done to remove stereotypes and level the playing field for women’s ambition to shine as brightly as men’s.”
- Melanie Stancliffe
Action needed
To address this confidence gap, organisations need to proactively encourage and empower women to prepare and be promoted into leadership roles. Mentorship and leadership development programmes play a crucial role in building confidence and providing women with the access, skills and support they need to pursue these roles, as agreed by 26% of those surveyed, making it the second most identified initiative.
Organisations can also attract a broader range of candidates from diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives by creating inclusive job descriptions. There needs to be greater “blind” recruitment from diverse recruitment panels. Where candidates equally meet the job specification, the individual from the under-represented group needs to be preferred or our workplaces will not change.
Additionally, initiatives that foster a supportive and inclusive workplace culture are essential. This includes education around gender bias and unconscious bias in the workplace, as cited by 25% of respondents, as well as transparent salary benchmarking to address pay inequality, identified by 18% of respondents. By creating an environment where women feel valued, heard, and comfortable, we can boost their confidence and encourage them to pursue leadership positions. A part of this should include senior male allies creating platforms that ensure female voices are heard, whether they are during informal meetings, or representing the company at conferences, AGMs or in the media.