The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance – What Women Should Know

by Katty Kay

Women are so keen to get everything just right that we are terrified of getting something wrong. But, if we don’t take risks, we’ll never reach the next level.

Perhaps most striking of all, we found that success correlates more closely with confidence than it does with competence.

Dunning-Kruger effect—the tendency for some people to substantially overestimate their abilities. (The less competent they are, the more they overestimate their abilities.

It’s confidence that sways people. We may not realize it but we all give confidence inordinate weight and we respect people who project it.

For decades, women have misunderstood an important law of the professional jungle. Having talent isn’t merely about being competent; confidence is actually a part of that talent. You have to have it to be good at your job.

Mastery isn’t about being the best tennis player or the best mom. The resonance of mastery is in the process and progress. It is about work, and learning to develop an appetite for challenge. Mastery inevitably means encountering hurdles; you won’t always overcome them, but you won’t let them stop you from trying.

it’s not simply about whether we can do a task, but whether we assess ourselves to be capable of doing that task.