Presenting

GRAVITAS MAGAZINE GravitasMag.com | 43 Continued on page 44 I By Jules Lewis Gibson t isn't that women lack the ability to succeed; it's that so many don't seem to believe they can succeed, and that stops them from even trying. While many women have sufficient skills, they lack the key element necessary to turn ability into action: self-belief. By not taking chances and putting themselves in the game, they fail to reach their full potential. Studies show that women's lack of confidence results in their failure to act. Whether it manifests itself as not raising their hand in class, applying for promotions or asking for raises, it is under confidence that holds them back. Women often misunderstand the professional jungle by considering competence to be the most important factor. While competence is critical, confidence is an essential ingredient as well. If you lack confidence in your abilities, your effectiveness as a leader suffers. Men and women alike must have confidence to be good at their job. Linda Babcok, professor of economics at Carnegie Mellon University and author of Women Don't Ask, found that women advocate for their own advancement less often than men. Studies showed that men ask for salary increases four times more than women, and when women do speak up to negotiate higher pay, they request thirty percent less than the men on average. Men clearly do not limit their own abilities. If anything, they tend to lean towards overconfidence. e Columbia Business School even has a term for the inclination: "honest overconfidence." ey have found that men on average estimate their value thirty percent higher than their actual ability. is is, of course, not earth- shattering news to women. While men are guilty of unrealistic self-perception, women have their own issues. A woman's propensity to pursue perfection keeps her from tackling tasks she views as out of her skill set, or simply beyond her comfort zone. Hewlett-Packard conducted a study to find out why more women do not ascend to top management positions. eir studies found that women only apply for promotions when they are one-hundred percent certain of their qualifications, while men would go for it when they perceived they had only sixty percent of the skills required. Basically, women only feel they are capable when they achieve perfection, or as close as possible. It is certainly not a shock to anyone that women are challenged by self-doubt. After all, it is an entirely new phenomenon that it is even possible for women to attain top offices. It shouldn't be expected that we could so easily shake off centuries upon centuries of discrimination and subjugation. Let's remember: less than 100 years ago, we were little more than chattel to men, without even the right to vote in America. The most beautiful thing you can wear is confidence. Blake Lively Visit GravitasMag.com for the digital version of this issue with an audio narrative of this article embedded into the digital page.

• Cover