Recently I read an article pointing to research that men and women develop confidence differently, and this difference can actually hurt women in the workplace. I had a hard time being open to the possibility that something as important as confidence can be determined in part by gender, but the research is pretty compelling.
One of the common misconceptions in business is that in order to be a great leader you must be charismatic and extroverted. While it is true that charismatic individuals can more easily sway others to their way of thinking, studies show that introverts have several advantages when it comes to leadership:Introverts are Better at Listening: A leader who listens actually hears and considers the ideas of team members instead of overwhelming everyone with his or her own perspective. This leads to better decision making. Just as important, team members feel more relevant and engaged.
As a leader with your team, as a parent with your kids, or in any close personal relationship, you will experience periods where you feel drained, anxious, or exhausted when it comes to managing the relationship.
Our culture even prizes the notion of being able to handle highly-stressful work settings, treating it like a desirable work skill.
What will my parents think? What will my boss think? What will my friends think? These are the worries that influence our decisions and cause us the most anxiety. The good news is, most of those judgmental thoughts we fear are illusions. They don’t actually exist, except in our heads. Don’t believe me? Consider this.